Devil's Playground
by FairytaleBeginnings
Summary: Vampires and shifters aren't the only supernatural creatures out there. Emme Wildes comes from a long, distinguished line of witches. After her mother is banished, she elects to move in with her estranged aunts and fully commit to learning magic. Unfortunately for her, she has a lot to learn, and a coven of vampires certainly aren't making things easy. (Twilight with Witch!Bella)
1. Prologue

_A/N Welcome everyone!_

_I've been skulking around the Twilight pages for a while now and had this idea that I couldn't get rid of... what if there were other things out there in the Twilight universe other than vampires and shifters? Surely there could be other things too? And what if Bella was one of them, and that's why Edward couldn't read her thoughts? Of course, as soon as I made Bella a witch, she was so OOC that I just decided to rewrite her as an entirely new character. So sorry to all you Edward/Bella fans, but this is going to be incredibly different. We'll see how receptive everyone is... hopefully the hate isn't too overwhelming haha._

_I have a playlist for this story! Let me know if you're at all interested in that. And PM/review me any questions or concerns you have, too. I have most of the story written out already, and I plan on posting it regardless of if I have an audience or not. I always appreciate suggestions, though!_

_Just roll with me on this, it's gonna be fun ;)_

* * *

I'd always had a feeling that I would die an unnatural death. As a witch, it was almost a guarantee—we tend to have a pretty good sixth sense. I remember the first time I had the feeling.

It was the first time I met my mother's boyfriend.

When I was 12, she introduced me to Ash. He seemed normal enough to me; Ash was epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. The moment I looked at him, however, I was overcome with a sense of dread. Meeting this man had put me on death's radar, and it would come for me sooner rather than later.

My mother must have realized it too. I didn't associate this feeling with Ash though. It felt more like a coincidence to me. I could still feel it even when he wasn't around. As a matter of fact, I actually liked the man well enough. Still, Mother never let us be around each other for very long. Our interactions were mainly greetings and small talk. Despite dating Ash for years, he never stayed at our house. Sometimes she would stay with him, but we weren't allowed to be around each other for too long.

That feeling never went away, even though I did.

As a matter of fact, it had only gotten stronger after I moved. It was easy enough for me to ignore, especially as I focused on learning magic instead of simply relying on intuition as Mom had me do for the first 16 years of my life.

So now, as I stared death in the face, I couldn't help but feel a bit proud of myself. I'd never had much confidence in my powers. My family name and legacy, maybe. But not in _me._

He slowly began to move towards me, smirk plastered on his smug, pale face. He was a predator in the truest sense of the word. I was undeniably his prey.

I hated him. He ruined everything. Worse, he put everyone I cared about in danger. Maybe I didn't have confidence before, but I was different now.

He would kill me, but I would _destroy_ him.


	2. Chapter 1: Into the Unknown

I don't know much about my family.

For some families, there isn't really that much to know. For others, there is a wealth of information that few care about. I should have a wealth of knowledge. I certainly care about it. But instead, all I have are a bunch of unanswered questions.

When did my family get their magic? Who was the first to become a witch? The first to become a Septe? What is my family's affinity? What's mine, for that matter? If we're so well known, then why does no one know how my father died? Why did my mother not want me to learn to control the magic coursing through my veins? And why did she choose banishment over me?

I do know some things, of course.

Everyone knows how Sarah Averill sailed to America from England. No know knows much before her life in America. She was a powerful witch, and quickly married the most powerful man she could find in Salem—John Wildes. Maybe it was her health. Maybe it was her love of bright colors. Whatever it was, she was one of the first to be accused of witchcraft when the Trials began. No one could lead that happy of a life in a Puritan society.

Sarah was arrested, imprisoned, and brought to trial. The Salem Witch Trials were completely bogus; most of those arrested were just normal people that the accusers didn't like for one reason or another. But what the fine citizens of Salem didn't realize was that they had actually managed to catch themselves a real witch.

Sarah was sentenced to hang, but was much too powerful for that to do any damage to her. She faked her death, glamoured herself, and continued living in Salem with John Wildes as if nothing had happened.

And thus, my family remained in the Salem—the witchcraft capitol of the United States—for the next 300 or so years. They got more powerful; they grew more prominent. My father, Cadoc Wildes, married my mother. But shortly after I was born, everything changed.

My father was murdered. No one knew how or who did it. But Dad's sisters had a huge falling out with the Council of Magic for their refusal to investigate. They went into self imposed exile in protest, and their loss in the community was hugely felt.

That's when the community turned to my mother and me to help fill the hole that they had created. There were no other Septes in Salem. Neither Mom nor I were Septes, but we had the potential to be. It was in both of our bloodlines. But that attention led to the Council discovering more than they bargained for.

Apparently the man my mom had been dating since I was 12 wasn't a witch. So the Council gave her a choice: never see him again or leave. She left.

And that takes us back to now.

I rounded the corner of the drive that lead to a clearing with a large, grey house situated in the center. It was in the Victorian style, like many of the old houses in the Pacific Northwest. It gave off an extremely eerie vibe. In retrospect, I suppose that's what they were going for. They should have just hung up a sign outside that said no trespassing. Still, it made me feel comforted. It was familiar, when nothing else around me was.

I got out of the cab with my three pieces of luggage, paid him, and waited for him to leave. It wasn't raining, but it was cloudy. I waited. I knew better than to try to approach the house.

The front door opened, and two middle aged women emerged. They were eccentric to say the least. It was all so stereotypical.

Aunt Blair and Aunt Isolde were identical twins. They were tall and slender—true classic beauties. They reminded me of movie starlets from the 1940s with their perfectly waved, black hair held back with combs and impeccably tailored expensive clothes. They had the Wildes' oval face, fair skin, and wide, dark eyes.

I wasn't nearly as put together as them. My mom was more free spirited and usually left me to my own devices. I'd developed a style of mostly jeans and sweaters in neutral colors.

"You're here then," Isolde stated, devoid of expressions.

I gave a small nod. Isolde and Blair dressed exactly alike almost always. I could always tell who was who based off my sixth sense.

I felt the wind shift and knew they had let down the barriers that held back the supernatural. I wasn't powerful enough to do it myself, especially as my aunts were fully trained. I was not, to say the least. I continued up to the porch, my bags following along by themselves behind me.

The house was a stereotypical old Victorian. It was large and sort of rundown looking on the outside with its white paint peeling and looking dull compared to the black door and shutters. The inside was just as old but much less run down. I honestly expected the outside to be some sort of glamour to creep the humans out in case one ever made it that far out of town.

The inside was richly decorated with deep, warm colors. The entire place seemed a bit dark and dreary, but it was comforting. There was no overhead lighting. It was all wall sconces or candles. The fireplace in the parlor was lit, and that was where my aunts led me. I settled into the black velvet armchair, tucking my feet under me. They sat on the leather sofa to my right, backs straight. If I didn't know them, it would be frightening, but that's just how they were. They'd been disconnected from humans for so long, I wasn't sure they'd know how to behave in front of them. I made a mental note to never need a parent teacher conference.

"We're glad you came to stay with us, Emme," Blair began.

"The circumstances leave something to be desired, but we think your being here will be good for you," Isolde finished.

They shared a look.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "I know that look. What are you keeping from me?"

Isolde took a steadying breath. "You know you have great power, Emerine. You're a Wildes; it's in your blood. But there is so much you don't know, yet. At this point in your life, you're supposed to at least be a Thridde—if not higher. We know your mother had your best interests at heart. Of course we knew, or we wouldn't have left you with her. But we didn't realize she wanted to leave you so blind. This isn't going to be easy for you. Your magic has been growing since you were born, and there has been no outlet for it to escape. You can expect outbursts of magic until you can properly learn to control it, which can be dangerous for you and everyone around you."

I knew this of course. The magic under my skin had been itching to escape for as long as I can remember. My mother never wanted me to use it. I had assumed it was because the power reminded me of Dad. I never wanted to upset her, so I never tried to harness it.

But the night she left me, I had exploded. I was upset, and I couldn't hold in my power. I ended up setting the entire house on fire. After I realized what I'd done, I tried to stop it. I couldn't. Not even the council could stop it, and I lost everything—including my mother.

Blair shot me a soft look. "Don't worry Emme. We're going to teach you. You're _meant_ to be here. Do you understand? Everything has happened for a reason. You're exactly where you need to be."

They would think that. They probably Saw it. I couldn't help but doubt them, but not learning wasn't an option. "Just tell me what I need to do."

They smiled in relief.

"We'll start with the basics. You know that each day of the week correlates with an Affinity of Witchcraft. Each day, we will focus on the correlating Affinity. You can have the night to yourself, but tomorrow after school we will begin with Casting." Isolde was all business. She probably had a lesson plan already drawn out.

Blair was more of the supportive type. "One more thing before bed, Emme." She walked over to a coffee table on the other side of the room and picked up a large, black book with black swirls all over the cover. There was no title, but it looked ancient.

"This is the Wildes Grimoire." Isolde told me, still seated.

Blair handed the book to me. I immediately felt a rush just by holding it. I wanted to immediately open it and begin reading, but she gently took it back. "There will be plenty of time for that. If we give this to you now, you'll never go to sleep."

She was right.

My bags had already made it to my room. I had stayed with my aunts a few times before, so I knew the how things worked here and where my room was.

My room was large and quite simple compared to the rest of the house. I had a large, four poster bed pushed up against the left wall. It was decorated with a light grey, velvet comforter and crisp white sheets. I had a mostly dark grey afghan rug at the end of the bed that covered most of the hardwood floor. Across the room were a closet and a wooden desk. My room was accented with natural wooden touches and greenery. The walls were painted a deep, navy blue. It was earthy and airy, unlike the rest of the house which felt mostly like fire.

I put away the few clothes that I had and laid out some for tomorrow. I chose some plain, dark wash skinny jeans and a thick, cream colored sweater. I changed into pajamas and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Forks High School was pretty easy to find. It didn't look like a regular school, but it was one of what seemed like three things in town. The school was a group of buildings off the side of the highway. I pulled into the parking lot next to the small building marked 'office.'

My mother had always homeschooled me, so I had never been to public school before. Despite this, the only thing I was nervous about was using my powers in front of the humans. The last thing I needed—or wanted—was unwanted attention.

Opening the door to office, I was greeted with a blast of warm air. I pushed my hood back and turned my attention to the middle aged woman behind the desk. The placard on her desk declared her to be Mrs. Cope. She stopped clacking at her keyboard, and looked up at me.

"Hi, I'm the new student… Emerine Wildes? I was told to stop by first thing today." I could tell by the look on her face that she already knew who I was. I supposed I would get used to that look throughout the day.

"Oh! Of course!" Mrs. Cope shuffled through some papers on her desk before handing me a stack of them. "Here is your locker information, class schedule, and a map of the school… the paper on top needs to be signed by all of your teachers. Then, bring it back here at the end of the day. Do you have any questions for me?"

I shook my head no, offered my thanks, and headed quickly back into the cold.

Considering there were only a handful of parking spots in front of the office, I assumed I had to move my car into the student lot. I left the house earlier than I probably would on a normal day specifically so I could have plenty of time to find where I needed to be.

I found the student lot pretty easily. It was the parking lot with all the students milling about, chatting and laughing before classes began. I pulled into a spot towards the back. Most of the cars here were older models, if not slightly beaten up with age. Mine stood out like a sore thumb. It was technically my aunts' car, but they let me borrow it. The glossy, black Infiniti SUV was more their style than mine. I was thankful regardless—it was a long walk from the house to town.

There was one other car in the parking lot that looked as nice as mine. It was a shiny, silver Volvo parked up towards the front. I didn't know or care much about cars, but even I could tell it was expensive.

I pulled my hood up, threw my bag over my shoulder, took a deep breath, and made my way into the school.

My first class of the day was English with a Mr. Mason. I managed to find his room, but walked in right as the bell rang. Everyone else was seated. Mr. Mason was a tall, balding man but looked nice enough. At least, that's what I thought until he opened his mouth.

"Cutting it close today, are we?"

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I would assume it would be common practice to cut the new kid a little slack, but apparently not. I wouldn't make that mistake again. "Sorry." I handed the man the slip.

Mr. Mason signed it and handed it back to me. "You can take the empty seat in the back."

With one last wary glance at Mr. Mason, I turned and walked to the back of the class to take my seat. Mr. Mason resumed his lecture on the Bronte sisters. Evidently we would be learning English literature for the second semester. I had been nervous about being behind in my studies, but I had already read most of the classics as that was Mother's favorite subject. Still, I took out my notebook and made an effort to take notes.

They ended up being a fruitless endeavor, however. I couldn't concentrate due to the stares of my classmates. Even though I was in the very back of the classroom, they still sneaked looks at me. I was a shiny new toy; to the average teenager in a small town, I was definitely more interesting than a dead English authoress. Can't say that I blamed them.

Eventually the bell rang. Before I could even shut my notebook, a boy that had been sitting in front of me turned around to face me. He was tall and lanky with a boyish face. His hair was longer and almost fell in front of his eyes. He pushed his bangs out of his face and held out his hand.

"Hey there. I'm Eric—Eric Yorkie. You must be Emerine Wildes."

I stared at his hand and took a deep breath before placing mine in his. So far, so good. I had been known to shock people if I touched them. I was usually fine if I knew I was going to make contact with someone, but if I didn't get to brace myself… it never ended normally.

"That's me. Call me Emme, though." I packed up my notebook, wondering what else he wanted.

He pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. "You are such big news. I'm talking the headline. Everyone wants to know everything about you. Feature article, baby!"

As he continued excitedly, my eyes got wider. I was supposed to be flying under the radar, not being featured—even if it was just for the school paper.

I chuckled nervously, trying to maintain my friendly demeanor. I wanted to try to make friends here. I wanted a normal social life that I was never allowed to have. I knew it wouldn't be completely normal with the whole magic thing, but I at least wanted to do well in school and make a couple of friends. But if anyone tried to push too much into me or my history, I wouldn't hesitate to defend my secrets. Humans could never know that witches existed.

"Thanks, Eric, but you shouldn't bother, really. I'm not interesting at all." I noticed most of the class had left by this point. I pulled my bag on my shoulder and began to walk towards the door. "Better get to class."

He looked a bit crestfallen but put the notebook back in his pocket. "What's your next class? I can take you if you want."

I looked at him wearily. He was almost too eager, but at this point I would be close to being late again. "Sure. It's Government."

He didn't lead me astray. I managed to make it to that class on time, though I cut it close again for my third period. Math had always been my least favorite subject, so I had already been dreading Trig.

When I got to the class, I handed my slip to the teacher, Mr. Varner.

He took it and signed it. As he held it out to me, he said the very words that I had been dreading to hear all day. "Go ahead and introduce yourself to the class."

My temper flared up. It was obvious how uncomfortable I was, and he still asked me to draw attention to myself anyways. I took a deep breath, noticing how the lights surged slightly with my discomfort.

"Hi, I'm Emme Wildes. I moved here from Massachusetts." I glanced at Mr. Varner to see if that was enough.

He raised his brows indicating he expected more.

I sighed and decided to throw in the two most boring facts about me. "I'm here living with my aunts, and my favorite color is purple." I looked back to Mr. Varner expectantly.

"You can go ahead and take a seat next to Miss Stanley."

A girl about halfway back waved excitedly at me. She had extremely curly brunette hair and couldn't be more than five feet tall. She looked over the moon about having me as a tablemate.

I took a seat and pulled out my notebook. I hadn't even opened it before she started whispering to me excitedly.

"I'm Jessica Stanley! It's so nice to see a new face around here. It doesn't happen often. The last time was like 5ish years ago or something so it's been a while. You said you were from Massachusetts, right? Boston? You don't have the accent though."

I was momentarily taken aback that the small girl could get that much out quietly while still remaining so enthusiastic. Was everyone in Forks like this? "I don't have the accent, no. My parents didn't have one. I'm not from Boston, anyways. I'm from Salem."

Jessica's eyebrows raised. "Oo, Salem. Spooky. We did the Witch Trials last year in US History. Dark stuff. You know all about that already though, I'm sure."

She was talking again before I could even nod.

"Well, what are the rest of your classes for the day? Maybe we'll have something else together. There aren't that many people in our class so there should be lots of familiar faces. I mean, there aren't that many people in our school to be honest. Or the town. I'm sure you get the picture. You should totally sit with me and my friends at lunch! I'm sure you'd love them!"

I quickly agreed before Mr. Varner yelled at Jessica to be quiet. He was fairly strict, and I didn't want to get on his bad side. I diligently took notes before realizing I already knew what he was lecturing on. My equations quickly turned into doodles, and before I knew it the bell rang again.

By the time the bell rang after Spanish, I was starving. Jessica had been with me in that class as well and practically dragged me to the cafeteria. We grabbed our food and mad our way to one of the large circular tables.

"Guys, this is Emme. Emme, this is Lauren, Angela, Eric, and Mike."

Eric was the first to speak up. "Yeah, Emme and I go way back," he said with a wink.

Mike—the blonde, boy that reminded me vaguely of a golden retriever—rolled his eyes. "Back to three hours ago, maybe."

Angela, a tall, thin girl with dark hair and oval framed glasses spoke up next. "Do you mind if I get your photo for the feature?" she asked, pulling out a camera.

I was about to say something before Eric cut me off. Flying under the radar would be easier than I thought if I never had to talk to anybody.

"The feature is dead, Angela. She said no."

Angela looked a little crestfallen. So far, she had seemed the most genuine of everyone I had met; I felt a little guilty.

"Sorry… it's nothing personal. I'm just not that interesting. I don't exactly care for the spotlight, anyways." I shot the perky blonde girl, Lauren, a look as she scoffed.

"Too late for that. You'll be in the spotlight, New Girl, until the next one shows up."

Angela looked annoyed by Lauren's snarkiness, but Jessica didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, we were talking earlier about how it's been a while since anyone new showed up. The Cullens were the last ones."

Immediately, the mood changed. Mike rolled his eyes, and Lauren sat up just a bit more attentively. Clearly these Cullens were important—or at the very least interesting. I glanced to Angela, silently asking for an explanation. She glanced to her left, and I followed her gaze.

At a table on the other side of the cafeteria sat five people—three boys and two girls. They were all devastatingly beautiful. Most witches were attractive due to glamours or even residual magic that altered our genes, but this was on an entirely different level. It almost hurt to look at their faces, which would have seemed more at home on a magazine cover or in artwork.

"Who are _they_?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Jessica was only too willing to give me the information I sought. "The Cullens. They moved here a couple years ago with Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. They're all adopted. The big, burly brunette is Emmett. The blonde goddess next to him is Rosalie Hale. Alice is the pixie like girl across from her. And the other blonde is Jasper Hale—he's Rosalie's twin. The last one is Edward."

My eyes fell over all of them. They all shared the same pale white skin and shadows under their eyes, but apart from that none of them looked alike. They were sitting at the same table, but not talking to each other. They weren't even looking at each other. They weren't eating, and they seemed to be the only students in the cafeteria that weren't staring at me. I felt something inside me as I stared at them. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but as I looked at the family of siblings, I knew what my aunts said was true. I was exactly where I needed to be. I also felt like something was about to happen. I didn't put much thought into it. It was a similar feeling to what I felt around Mother's boyfriend, Ash, and nothing ever happened with him. The air felt different, though, and I couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

I noticed Jessica was still speaking and tore my eyes away from the Cullens.

"They're all _together_. Like together, together. Emmett and Rosalie, then Jasper and Alice. It's weird right? I know they're adopted, but they, like, live together."

"Edward's not with anyone though, but don't even bother." Lauren chimed in. "He doesn't date."

I started to laugh, immediately assuming that she had asked him out and gotten turned down. I looked back at the Cullen table, only to meet a pair of topaz eyes. Edward Cullen was looking at me.

And suddenly my word went fuzzy. I heard a ringing in my ears. It was quiet at first, but grew louder and sharper until suddenly my head exploded with voices—hundreds of voices talking over each other. It was excruciating. I couldn't hear. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. The only thing I saw was topaz. The edges of my vision began to darken as I finally managed to cover my ears with my hands and rip my eyes away from Edwards.

"Emme! Are you alright?"

"What's going on?"

"Help her!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up at Angela next to me.

The voices were fading away. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." Everyone was staring at me skeptically. I had no explanation for myself, let alone for them, but I had to come up with something. "I get acute headaches a lot. They don't normally last long, though. Seriously I'm fine."

Jessica nodded. "I totally get it. My mom gets those too. I hope I didn't inherit it."

The conversation resumed around me without further questions. Slowly, I stole a glance back at the Cullen table.

Edward's bronze hair glowed under the fluorescent lighting, and my eyes found him immediately. He was talking to his siblings. He seemed stricken, and they looked worried. I had a feeling it was about what just happened, but surely they didn't know that I started hearing hundreds of voices. That was something normal (kind of anyways) for a witch. It was absolutely not normal for a human. They were probably just talking about how weird I had just acted. I turned my attention back to my table.

I hadn't been listening to the conversation, but Lauren was going on about someone named Tyler. I tried to listen to what she was saying, but I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

"Edward is looking at you," Jessica whispered to me.

I knew this already. I could sense his eyes on me. "The perks of being a new girl, I guess."

Jessica playfully elbowed me in the side. "Come on, Emme! He _never_ gives anyone outside of his family any sort of attention unless he has to. Maybe you've peaked his interest." She seemed excited, but I could hear the tinge of jealousy in her voice.

He had certainly peaked mine, but probably not for the reasons she thought. And I definitely wasn't going to tell her that. "Didn't you say he doesn't date?"

Jessica raised her brows, clearly not expecting that response. "I guess. Probably for the best," she shrugged.

And something inside me told me she was probably right.


	3. Chapter 2: First Sight

My first class after lunch was Biology with Mr. Banner. Mike and Angela were in the same class, and they (mostly Mike) offered to walk me there so I would know where I was going. The school wasn't at all like I had imagined it or even like one I had seen on TV. It was a bunch of separate buildings spread out across the campus. It was incredibly impractical considering the climate in this part of the country, but at least the walkways were covered.

When we got to Biology, Angela and Mike left me to sit down in their assigned seats. We were one of the last groups of students to arrive, and when I looked around there were only two empty seats. I handed my slip to Mr. Banner. As he was signing it, a student rushed in as the bell rang leaving only one seat open. Mr. Banner handed me the paper and gestured for me to sit.

I took a deep breath and went to sit by Edward Cullen.

I don't know why I was so nervous. I tried to tell myself that he was just a boy and there was nothing to be worried about, but the situation in the cafeteria had rattled me. It could have been a coincidence that I heard voices in my head after looking him in the eyes, but my instincts said it wasn't. My instincts had never been wrong before.

I took my seat and pulled out my notebook trying to remain as normal as possible. Normal people did not stare at their science partners, I reminded myself. I didn't really want to admit it, but I was curious about Edward. Once again, I had known all of the information that Mr. Banner began lecturing about. My diligent notes quickly became anything else. I wished I had the artistic ability to sketch the pair of eyes that I couldn't stop thinking about—the eyes of the boy sitting next to me.

"Hello." His voice was smooth and cool. It was like velvet. "I'm Edward Cullen. You must be Emme Wildes."

I didn't expect him to speak to me. I couldn't deny that I was glad he did. I didn't want to look into his eyes again. I was afraid the same thing that happened at lunch would happen again, and Biology was one of the worst places that could happen. I was supposed to be flying under the radar, being as normal as a Dursley.

But I also didn't want to be rude. I managed a small glance his way and a smile. I started writing real notes again instead of random words and doodles as an excuse not to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, that's me. How'd you know?"

He chuckled in a way that sounded like music. How is that even a thing? "It's kind of hard not to notice in a town this small."

I let out a laugh as well. "No, I meant how did you know that I prefer Emme over Emerine?"

"Word gets around."

"Well, what else does the word say?" I hoped there would be little to no word.

"You moved here from Salem, Massachusetts to live with your two aunts. Your favorite color is purple. And you don't think you're interesting enough to be featured in the school newspaper."

I glanced at him again, this time with my brows raised. "You've seemed to collect quite the dossier on me, Mr. Cullen."

"To the contrary, Miss Wildes. I think that's hardly any information at all." His words were playful and inviting.

The banter was so natural it surprised me. I was usually awkward meeting new people. I kept to myself. But I wasn't keeping to myself with Edward—I was myself. Judging by the gossip Jessica had been telling me at lunch, the Cullens kept to themselves. They didn't really talk to anyone outside of their family unless directly spoken to first. So why was he talking to me? Was he really curious about the new girl? Did he know that I was just as curious about him?

I decided to take a chance. It was hard to figure out if he was being genuine or not without reading his facial expressions. And if the same thing happened as before, then I would know for sure that Edward was the trigger.

Slowly, my eyes met his dark—almost black—ones.

I wasn't frozen this time, but my head exploded with the sound of unfamiliar voices. There weren't as many as last time, but there were definitely enough that I got an instant headache. My vision began to blur around the edges again, but I held Edward's gaze. When I first looked at him, his expression was as playful as he sounded. But now, however, it was filled with concern and laced with questions.

I fought to push the voices down and back out of my mind, one by one, never breaking Edward's stare. Finally, there was only one voice left.

'_This could be a huge mistake.'_

I tore my eyes away from his and let the voice—his voice—drift away. I knew it had been him speaking, yet his mouth hadn't moved at all. I had listened in on his thought.

Witches have the power of telekinesis, but those powers don't normally manifest until the witch is ready for it. It is exceedingly rare for a witch to be less than a Thridde and have the power to read other's minds. Usually, powers start with slight clairvoyance. I had all sorts of feelings about things that would warn me if I was forgetting something or about to walk into a situation I shouldn't be in. Potion brewing and healing were fairly beginning level too; all you had to do was follow directions in a grimoire. Almost any witch could use those skills, even if they weren't ranked.

But I had heard voices. I had unlocked an upper level power without even having thought about it. And it absolutely had something to do with Edward. I would have to talk to my aunts immediately after school.

I turned my attention back to my notes. Edward was right after all. This could be a huge mistake.

He made no effort to speak with me again. I could tell that he knew something had happened. I only hoped he didn't know what.

When the bell rang, Edward was out of his seat and through the door before anyone else had even shut their notebooks or grabbed their bags. I stared after him, almost mystified that someone could move that fast, let alone be graceful about it.

"So, what did Cullen say to piss you off?"

I stood up to face Mike Newton, attentively at my side. He seemed almost jovial that Edward and I didn't seem to get along. "He didn't piss me off. I just needed to focus on my notes."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure. Cullen doesn't talk to anyone. I'm sure most girls would have died if he struck up a conversation with them."

So I was right. He talked to me for a reason, and the information only confused me more. He didn't know I had magic—he couldn't have. So why me?

I decided to change the subject to something that would please him and his eagerness to please. "Would you mind showing me where the gym is? I have that next."

Mike lit up like I told him he'd won the lottery. "Yeah! Actually I'm heading there too. We're doing basketball, but I doubt Coach Clapp will make you change out since you don't have a uniform yet."

Turns out, Mike was exactly right. Coach Clapp signed my slip and gestured me to the bleachers for the period since he didn't know where the gym uniforms were at the moment. With a promise to find me something by tomorrow, he went to start the mock basketball games.

He let me out of gym a few minutes early so I could turn in my slip signed by all my teachers. As I headed towards my car I made sure to zip my black winter coat and pull the hood over my head. This was partially because it was so cold and windy outside, but mostly because I was anxious about seeing Edward again. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes again without knowing what was going on. The wind picked up as I continued to stress, blowing my hood back.

I looked up as I reached my car to see the car I noticed earlier parked across from me. It was the shiny, silver Volvo, and getting opening the driver's door was Edward Cullen. His brother Emmett was getting into the passenger seat and the others were opening the doors to the back. I sensed that Edward was about to look up, so I looked instead at the small girl standing next to him, whispering in his ear.

She was so small, she was smaller than me. She couldn't have been more than five feet. Her hair was cropped, black, and spiky, so unlike Edward's bronze hair. They didn't have to look alike since they were all adopted, I supposed. She did have exactly the same skin tone as he did, however. It was so pale it was almost white and it was beautifully uneven.

As if she sensed me staring, Alice looked up at me.

Again, my vision disappeared. This time, though, it wasn't replaced with blackness. It was replaced with an image.

The image was of a girl with long, straight auburn hair sitting with her legs in front of her, ankles crossed. She was leaning back on her hands. She had cream colored skin with olive undertones. The girl looked so at ease, despite being in a clearing in the middle the woods. Her butterscotch eyes were twinkling as she laughed at someone I could not see. Her eyes followed the other person until she fell backwards, lying amongst the myriad of pastel wildflowers. I could tell this girl was incredibly at peace and just _happy_—so happy that I almost didn't recognize her.

It was me.

The vision faded away, and my sight returned. I hadn't moved at all, but the wind had picked up and it had begun to rain. It was so cold; I was surprised it wasn't snowing. Or maybe it was just me.

The Cullens were all in their Volvo ready to leave except for Alice. She was looking at me with the same look that I must have been giving her: confusion, shock, curiosity (but mostly confusion). Emmett leaned over Edward and said something to Alice. She quickly got in the car, and they sped away.

I should have done the same, but I stood in the freezing rain for a moment longer. I was already soaked, and I needed a moment to compose myself before I could drive anywhere. After a few deep breaths, threw my bag in my car, climbed in, and headed home.

I was going to have to have a long chat with my aunts.

* * *

Isolde and Blair were waiting on the porch as I pulled into the driveway.

As quickly as I could, I grabbed my things and went up to meet them.

"Letting your emotions get the better of you, I see," Blair said with a smirk.

I must have given her a look of confusion, because she rolled her eyes before explaining herself.

"You honestly don't think we can tell the difference between a normal storm and a conjured one?"

I groaned. "It's been a day."

Isolde shoved a mug into my free hand. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

I looked into the cup wearily. It looked like hot cocoa, but I knew it wasn't. Hesitantly, I took a sip. It immediately warmed me up. I even felt slightly more energized than I had. It tasted almost like a vanilla latte, but not quite as bitter. "What is this and how do you make it? Asking for a friend."

They snorted. "Blair nicknamed it the pepper up potion after she read Harry Potter. It essentially does the same thing—basically it restores a witch's health and stamina so long as they don't need healing first."

"It's one of the first things you'll learn to make on potion days," Blair added.

"Speaking of," started Isolde, "Go inside and put your things away. Then you can tell us about what happened at school and we can get started on your lesson for the day."

I ran up to my room and dumped my school bag unceremoniously in the doorway before running back downstairs to the library. I wanted answers about what had happened so I could finally stop worrying and calm down. I didn't realize how anxious I had been until my aunts had told me my emotions had conjured the storm brewing outside.

The library was a medium sized room with shelves lining all four walls. There were two windows, each with a cushioned sill for lounging. They were draped in heavy, maroon curtains that were currently drawn. There was a fireplace that was lit, and in front of it was a plush red and gold rug. There was a desk at the far end of the room, but my aunts sat in two overstuffed leather chairs in front of the fireplace. I sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace.

"Alright then. So what happened?" Isolde asked.

"It started out normally enough. Sidenote: I am way ahead in my schooling so at least the year so at least I can focus mostly on magic instead of homework."

"Small miracles," Isolde remarked dryly, flicking her black hair over her shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, I was at lunch when I saw this family sitting by themselves. I asked this girl who they were, and she told me they were the Cullens. Have you heard of them?"

"Only in passing. I believe they moved here a couple of years ago, and the patriarch works at the hospital. That's about it. We don't go to town very often," Blair answered. "And when we do, we don't exactly mingle with the townsfolk."

"Anyways, as I was looking at them, one of them looked at me and my head—well it sort of exploded with voices. As soon as I looked away from him, it stopped. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but we ended up having Biology together as well. It happened again when I looked at him there, too, but we were in a smaller room with less people so it wasn't as overwhelming. I managed to push most of the voices back and ended up with just one… his. It stopped again when we broke eye contact."

My aunts were quiet for a moment as they thought about what I had just told them.

"It seems as if this Cullen boy awakened your telekinetic abilities," Aunt Blair mused.

"That's not all," I continued. "As I was leaving the school today, I made eye contact with his sister, Alice. As soon as I did, I saw something. I think it was a vision."

My aunts shared a look.

"This isn't really something to worry about, Emerine. It's just a bit odd," Blair assured me.

Isolde explained further. "Telekinesis and precognition are upper level magic, but you have the ability to practice them. You would have gotten these abilities sooner or later. The Cullen children are probably magic sensitive or even potentially users themselves. Do you have any negative feelings about them?"

I shook my head. "I don't think they're dangerous, if that's what you're asking. I'm more curious than anything. I want to learn more about them." I hadn't even admitted that to myself yet, but the moment I said it, I knew it was true. The entire Cullen family was a fascinating mystery, and I was Nancy Drew. I felt pulled to them, and I wanted to know why.

Blair smiled softly. "Trust your instincts, Emerine. They won't lead you astray."

Before I could think on anything further, Isolde changed the subject. "Alright then. Time for your first formal lesson, dear. Ready?"

I sat up a bit straighter. Was I ready? I had only been wanting to learn to use my magic every since I figured out I had it. Sure, bursts of it slipped out of me every now and then. But I wanted to _control_ it. I wanted to harness it into something useful instead of something harmful.

"Where do we start?"

"Where most kindergartners start," Blair laughed playfully. "By learning to count. And then the days of the week."

"What do you mean?" I asked skeptically.

"Well," Blair began, "You know the seven levels of witchcraft, right? What are they?"

I answered immediately, glad I wasn't totally ignorant. "Forma, Opher, Thridde, Feor, Fyfte, Syxta, and Septe."

They both nodded before Blair continued. "If you are magic sensitive, you don't rank at all. But if you master one of the affinities, you level up. Everyone in our bloodline since Sarah Averill arrived in America has eventually gone on to become a Septe. It's why so many of us were part of the High Council. Average witches and warlocks will only ever rank as a Thridde or a Feor, which is perfectly acceptable."

"Unless your last name is Wildes," Aunt Isolde interjected.

I nodded. I could _feel_ the magic in my blood. I wasn't worried at all. "Alright then. So what are the days of the week?"

"Witches and warlocks can use any magic on any day of the week. However, each day of the week means something specific, something special. The days will correlate with an affinity, a planet, a plant, and certain traits. For example, today is Tuesday. Tuesday is one of the most important days for an upper level witch because it's associated with an upper level magic. Tuesday falls under the house of Mars. Its affinity is spell casting, which is such a broad magic that no one really knows how much you can cast. Basically, spell casting is changing and controlling events with magic. You can change the weather, the elements. You can change people's realities. You can conjure. But we'll go over that in a moment."

I felt as if I should be taking notes.

"Don't worry; it's all in the grimoire," Isolde told me as if she had read my thoughts. She probably had. "Now most witches can do minor casting. It's an upper level magic, but some of it is easier than others. We'll be going over the most known spell casting abilities this evening."

The lecture continued for another hour and a half—and it was all just the basics.

Spell casting had to be the most complicated thing I had ever heard of, simply because there was so much to it, and because of that you had to demonstrate the ability to cast at least three different types of spells before you could level up. There were eight different types of spells: reality warping, elemental control, channeling, physical strength, levitation, glamouring, transmutation, and conjuring. The plant that was most potent on a Tuesday was cedar, which explained why the whole wand rumors about witches got started. Minor level witches and warlocks would use cedar to give their spells an extra bit of oomph. Upper levels didn't have to use anything at all. War spells and protection enchantments were also the most powerful on a Tuesday.

I quickly decided that I hated Tuesdays. Whatever happened to starting where kindergartners started? I was pretty sure they didn't have to jump into the equivalent of Calculus on their first day of school.

"So what I did today with the storm… it was spell casting?" I wondered aloud.

"Just so," replied Blair. "Casting is always easier to do when you use your emotions."

"That doesn't make it more powerful, however. It simply makes it more volatile." Isolde unknowingly answered my next question, and then continued. "And perhaps the most important lesson of the evening is that all magic has a cost. Witches and warlocks have a great amount of powers and every last one of them has the ability to use any of it. People will tell you that witches can't rise in their ranks because they don't have the talent. That's not necessarily true. The only difference between a Forma and a Septe is that a Septe has the stamina and life force to use more power than a Forma does."

"Magic is all around us, Emerine." Blair told me, waving her hand at the room around us. "Magic is life. And in order for you to harness it, it will first harness you. Every spell you cast, every potion you use, it takes a little bit of the life out of you. It's why you needed that potion when you got home today. Your body isn't used to it yet. Your stamina will increase with practice, just like an athlete. But if you over exert yourself before you're ready? There are some things that even magic can't do."

Great. Of course there would be a downside. That didn't turn me off to the idea of learning what my abilities were, however. Instead, I wanted to test myself to see what I could do.

"As much as we love the spark, Emerine, that's enough for one day," Blair told me.

I furrowed my brow, running my hand through my now dry hair. "You mean I don't even get to try it out yet?"

Isolde shot me a look. "We must learn to walk before we can fly."

"I thought the saying was 'walk before we can run?'" I questioned.

She smirked. "Whoever said that couldn't fly."

* * *

Next time:

_I had a feeling that Edward's mysterious disappearance had something to do with me, and I was tired of wondering helplessly about it like a love struck school girl. I wasn't a love struck school girl. I was a witch, and if I started acting like one, I wouldn't have to wonder about where Edward was and why he was missing. I could find out for myself._


	4. Chapter 3: Visions

_A/N:_

_Trigger warning: anorexia is briefly mentioned in this chapter._

* * *

The next day of school was infinitely easier than the first.

The novelty of being the new girl hadn't worn off—far from it—but people didn't try to look at me constantly like they had yesterday. I had met enough people that I liked well enough, so I didn't have to worry about fitting in like I had the day before.

Unfortunately, my comfort level had dramatically decreased by second period. Mike managed to switch seats with a girl named Ashley so that he could sit next to me instead. I didn't particularly mind. Mike was friendly enough. But his overeager demeanor made me feel as if he was interested in having more than just a friendly relationship.

I had had a couple of boyfriends back home, but nothing serious. One was a human, so I had known it the relationship was doomed to fail from the start. The other knew I wasn't allowed to practice magic at the time, and it drove him crazy. I didn't really blame him for that; it drove me crazy too. Plus, boys weren't exactly at the top of my priority list at the moment—especially not human boys.

"So how's your second day going so far?" he questioned, taking it upon himself to walk me to Trig.

I shrugged. "It isn't so bad. Not as many people are staring."

Mike looked pointedly at a group of girls staring at me and talking quietly to themselves then back at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I said not as many, not that they weren't. Plus it seems that I am a bit ahead in classes so I won't have to study as much."

"Lucky. I'm basically failing Trig and Biology," he laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Jessica, quickly walking up to us as we entered Building 5.

Mike chuckled nervously. "Oh, nothing. Oh, look at that, better get to class. See ya at lunch, Emme!"

Jessica scowled. "What am I, chopped liver?" she muttered before turning on her heel and stomping into Trig.

I reluctantly followed her. Not only was math my least favorite subject, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to hearing Jessica rant about Mike. You didn't need powers to see that Jessica was into him.

I took my seat, waiting for the bell to ring. I hadn't even set down my bag before Jessica whirled on me.

"It's like, totally uncool of him to run off like that. He didn't even acknowledge me! Is he ignoring me? What do you think it was? I didn't do anything, and even if I did, I do not deserve to be treated like I'm invisible."

"I don't know, Jessica."

Despite the bell ringing, she continued her rant. "What were you talking about before I got there? Was it me?"

"No. He was telling me which classes he had a hard time with."

She furrowed her brow. "That doesn't make any sense."

Mr. Varner glanced back at us from the board while he was writing some equations. He gave Jessica a pointed look then turned back.

I decided to give the girl some peace of mind if only to get Mr. Varner off our backs. "Look, Jessica. I've only been here for one day, but I can tell you're really smart. Not everyone can keep up with your brains."

She nodded along, agreeing. And I wasn't lying. She was smart if she was in Trigonometry instead of Geometry like the rest of the Juniors. Shallow, maybe, but still intelligent.

"He probably just got nervous. Maybe he doesn't want you to think less of him?" I shrugged.

That seemed to placate her enough that she was silent. I had about two minutes of silent note taking before she began to speak again. "So do you think he's, like, interested then?"

* * *

I had told myself this morning that I wasn't nervous about my second day of school, but as I walked with Jessica to the cafeteria, I had to admit I was. It wasn't because I was still the center of attention. It wasn't because I wasn't fitting in.

It was because of Edward Cullen.

I still didn't know what to think of him. He was so different than the rest of the kids here. Sure, my aunts had encouraged me to get closer to him and his family (Alice, specifically). But that would be a selfish thing to do if they liked to keep to themselves. I didn't want to get to know them just because I thought they would help me with my magic. If I was being totally honest with myself, that wasn't the only reason I wanted to get close to them, anyways. I could feel some sort of pull between myself and the Cullens—almost like a magnet.

After getting our food, Jessica and I sat down at our table with the others. I managed to get a seat that faced the Cullens this time. As creepy as it sounded, I wanted to try to look at them again to see if anything else happened. This time, I was prepared.

The family was already seated, though they had no food. Emmett seemed to be saying something to Rosalie, sitting across from him next to her twin. Next to him was Alice, but one was missing. I counted again, just to double-check. Edward wasn't there.

I got a feeling in my gut that the reason he wasn't there was somehow because of me. The worst part was that because my intuition was annoyingly always right, I knew it was true. I began to halfheartedly try to talk myself out of that thought. Maybe he was eating somewhere else. Maybe he was sick.

Alice suddenly looked up at me. I probably should have been embarrassed since I was so obviously staring at her family, but I wasn't. Instead, I met her eyes, eager to see if I would get another premonition.

_Edward was standing in a huge valley that was blanketed in deep snow. Ahead of him was a large, modern house. It almost looked like a log cabin, but it was much too big to be called a cabin. The entire scene was picturesque, but Edward only looked at the house in front of him._

_Eventually, a petite woman came out of the house. She looked similar to him in that she was beautiful and had skin so pale she almost blended in with the snow around her. Her long, strawberry blonde hair shifted in the breeze. It must have been freezing, but she seemed unconcerned in her fitted jeans and a simple sweater._

"_Edward? What are you doing here?"_

"Earth to Emme!"

I broke contact with Alice, refocusing my eyes before sliding them to Jessica. I was irritated that she had interrupted me. I had a feeling that the premonition was about where Edward had gone, and I wanted to know more. I had officially moved from nervous about Edward being here to being disappointed that he wasn't. I didn't even let myself think about the implications of that before I answered Jessica.

"Yes?"

"Where were you just now?" she demanded, brow raised.

"I didn't get much sleep last night. Guess I zoned out. What were you talking about?"

"I was just telling Lauren and Angela about the whole Mike incident this morning."

I looked over at Mike. He was deep in conversation with Tyler Crowley about basketball.

Jessica looked at me expectantly. She wanted me to chime in, obviously, but I could not care less about her relationship with the blonde boy.

I looked back at the Cullen table, seeking Alice once again. "Yeah, he was super rude to Jessica this morning."

It wasn't an involved response, but it was enough to send Jessica into another rant. It gave me an opportunity to return my attention to the Cullen table.

Alice wasn't there. Neither were any of the other Cullens. They were all heading out of the cafeteria. Just as the door shut behind them, the bell rang. I gathered my things and headed to Biology with Angela. I couldn't tell if I was dreading the class because Edward might be there… or because I knew he wasn't.

When the second bell rang, I knew I was right. I had the table to myself.

* * *

"So…" I began, tossing my backpack onto the desk in the library. "What's on the agenda for today?" After arriving home from school, my aunts called me for training without so much as an afternoon snack.

I tossed my backpack onto the desk and then dropped onto the floor by the fireplace. There was a slight pressure that had been forming in between my eyebrows ever since I stepped in the door. If I was going to get a headache, that would make today's lesson incredibly difficult—especially seeing as I didn't think my aunts would let me slack off for something so trivial.

"You would be correct on that assumption," Blair commented.

I snapped my head up and looked at her. "How—" I began before cutting myself off. Today was Wednesday, which meant practicing the art of telekinesis.

"Correct again!" Isolde smiled, entirely too pleasantly. "But we won't be doing that. We thought it best if we focus on telepathy first, given the circumstances."

"I'm assuming this pressure in my head is the two of you ratting around in it?"

Isolde nodded. "Whenever a witch uses telepathy to look into another witch's mind, you should be able to feel it. Unless the stronger the witch, the stronger she feels foreign presences."

"On the other side of that, the stronger the witch, the easier it is to disguise your presence in another's mind," Blair continued.

The pain in my forehead flared again. "Fine, fine. Ignoring the fact that that makes almost no sense, how do you keep out unwanted presences?"

My aunts began the intricate process of explaining to me how to build up a mental shield. It was something that was unique to each individual person. Even humans could make mental shields, on the assumption they knew that their minds could be read. Aunt Blair said her shield was made of gold. Isolde's was silver. It made sense that theirs were similar since they were extremely close.

I thought about what I wanted mine to look like. The material didn't have to be strong; it just had to be a barrier. If someone tried to change anything about it, you would notice. I didn't want it to be too malleable though. If my mental shield was a bubble, I would certainly feel if someone popped it… but then they would have full access to my mind. If I used something like brick, even if the intruder ruined a part of it, the rest would stay strong. It would keep too much from escaping. Plus brick was familiar. It was old and tested. It was what my house in Salem was built with. It was what I knew.

My aunts coached me through the building of my wall. They taught me how to protect myself, but also how to test others' shields to try to find a way in. They didn't stop until I had successfully infiltrated both of their shields. The entire process was exhausting.

Magic was a part of me. It was like I had decided to start training for a marathon as someone who had never run a day in her life. I'd never used magic on purpose, and now that I was, my body almost couldn't take it. Blair and Isolde were pushing me, but they were careful not to overstep.

Despite how draining it was on me, I was actually very good at it. It was harder for me to keep my mental shield in place, but when it came to dismantling them, I could easily find my way in. My aunts were clearly surprised that I took to the mental exercise so quickly when I was only adequate at best with the spell casting. And I knew they were shocked because I read it in their thoughts. If I could infiltrate their minds, then humans would be no problem at all.

I tried not to think about who I would test this theory on. Part of me knew that would be a major breach of privacy, but the other part wanted to test my abilities and practice as much as possible.

"I think that's enough training for the night," Blair sighed. "You have quite the affinity for this, though. It should make next week much easier, and we'll be able to move onto other aspects from there, I think."

I had a full-blown headache by this point, and I felt like I could sleep for weeks. "Other aspects?"

Isolde nodded. "Telepathy isn't just reading minds, you know. Once you get into another person's mind, you can manipulate it as well. Mind control, as it were."

"It works with animals, too."

"And even spirits sometimes," Isolde finished.

"I can finally run away and start my own circus."

Blair snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. You're destined for much greater things."

* * *

Edward wasn't at school the next day, either. In fact, he wasn't at school for the rest of the week. By Friday, my patience had worn out. I was tired of wondering about Edward. It occurred to me that no one else seemed as obsessed with him as I was. I could just as easily have tried to approach Alice, but for some reason, I didn't focus on her as much. Instead, I thought about _him_.

I had a feeling that Edward's mysterious disappearance had something to do with me, and I was tired of wondering helplessly about it like a love-struck school girl. I wasn't a love-struck school girl. I was a witch, and if I started acting like one, I wouldn't have to wonder about where Edward was and why he was missing. I could find out for myself.

I had every intention of testing my power out on Jessica in Trig, but the girl was so chatty that I doubted the only thoughts running through her head were what she was saying to me. It wasn't until Spanish that she actually fell silent in order to translate the page that Mrs. Goff handed out.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I focused on the girl next to me, reaching my mind out to hers.

She didn't have any sort of mental shield up, as expected. I made sure to only probe the surface of her thoughts and to keep myself from branching too far out. I didn't want to hear the entire class, just Jessica. I listened to her switch the words on the page in front of her from English to Spanish.

'_Let's see… Siempre los hemos llevido—no wait—llevar, not llevir. Siempre los hemos llevado bien. I wonder if Mike thinks Spanish is hot. I bet he does, any foreign language is sexy. Except maybe German. German always sounds so angry. I wish I had taken French. French is infinitely hotter. Si, los he repartido—ugh, damn these verb conjugations—repartado antes. No one in Forks even speaks Spanish. What is the _point_ of this?'_

I almost couldn't believe I had done it, until I felt the wave of slight fatigue that hit me. It wasn't a lot; mind reading didn't take much effort. But it was still upper-level magic, and I wasn't an upper-level witch technically. Yet, anyways.

I went ahead and finished my translations, making sure to fix the mistake that Jessica didn't know she had made as I did it. I glanced at her. "I always get the verbs mixed up. Repartado sounds much better than repartido, don't you think?"

She stiffened next to me. '_Shit. Thank God for the new girl. I can't believe I missed that.' _"Ugh, you have no idea. I should have taken French," Jessica answered, erasing her mistake and changing it to the correct answer.

I gave her a small smile, but she didn't even notice. Say what you will about Jessica Stanley, but she took her studies seriously. She probably only made the mistake in the first place because she was distracted by Mike. The girl had it bad. She was also refreshingly transparent. Jessica seemed to say exactly what she thought: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I could respect her honesty.

Unlike a certain family that seemed to be shrouded in mystery.

I made sure to choose a seat that I could easily see Alice Cullen from. I had tested my abilities out on Jessica, but I was going to use Alice to find out what was going on with Edward. I sighed, running my hand through my hair. Everything came back to him. It was getting a little pathetic, and yet I was going ahead with it anyways.

"Aren't you getting food, Emme?" Angela asked me.

I pulled myself out of searching for Alice long enough to look at the dark-haired girl. "Nah, I'm not very hungry today."

She shrugged and went off to the lunch line with Jessica and Eric. Mike and Lauren brought their lunches for the most part.

"It's healthy to skip lunch, you know," Lauren told me with a pointed look. '_Anorexia isn't cute.'_

"I know. I ate a big breakfast this morning though, and it kind of made me nauseous. I usually just have fruit or toast." It wasn't true, but she bought it. I wasn't anorexic. I just had other things on my mind that distracted me from my appetite.

Speaking of other things on my mind, Alice Cullen gracefully sat down at the Cullen table, gently setting her tray down in front of her. I briefly wondered if she was a dancer; normal people didn't look so fluid when doing normal things like that. Carefully, I looked into her mind.

Like Jessica, Alice didn't have any sort of shield up. That led me to believe that she was simply magic sensitive, and not a witch. If she were a witch, she'd have a shield.

Unlike Jessica, her thoughts were wild. She didn't think in words very often. From what I could tell, it was mostly images. Sometimes she thought from her point of view, but other times the images didn't even have her in them.

_Alice and her siblings walked through the door of what I assumed was their home. Alice was laughing at something someone said, then looked at Rosalie. Rosalie pulled a ring off the necklace that was around her neck. She placed it on her left ring finger before grabbing Emmett's hand and running with him up the stairs. They were fast. Weirdly fast._

_Edward was lying in a deep pile of pristine, white snow. He wasn't dressed for the snow, but he didn't seem cold. He actually seemed quite comfortable. The woman strawberry blonde woman sprang over a rock a few feet away from him. He turned to glace at her, an unreadable expression on his face. She was truly beautiful; her skin looked almost silver in the moonlight._

_Suddenly, she launched herself off the rock canon-balling into the snowbank next to him. Edward didn't even flinch._

"_Edward?" the woman questioned, worry on her face. She quickly brushed the snow off of him. "Sorry. It was a joke."_

"_I know," Edward replied. "It was funny." His face didn't show any amusement, however._

_The woman sighed. "Irina and Kate said I should leave you alone. They think I'm annoying you."_

_Edward didn't hesitate. "Not at all. On the contrary, I'm the one who's being rude—abominably rude. I'm very sorry."_

_It was silent for a moment before Edward began to have a one-sided conversation with himself. "I haven't… entirely… decided that." A pause. "No. It doesn't seem to be… helping." Another pause. "Of course not." He smiled. "No."_

_The woman raised one eyebrow, her expression disbelieving. Edward laughed at her and then sighed. "Alright. A little bit." It was silent for a moment before Edward continued. "You're a thousand times lovelier than the stars, Tanya."_

_There was a meadow in the forest. It was so green and alive. It was beautiful, but even more beautiful was the couple lying in the middle of it._

_There was a girl with long, dark hair. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, but still held olive undertones I was familiar with. Her hair shone with an auburn tint in the sunlight. Her butterscotch eyes sparkled as they stared at the sky above. It was that unrecognizable version of me that looked well-rested, carefree, and truly happy._

_I was lying next to Edward. I looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him. He had been looking up, too, but slowly turned his head to look at me. His gaze expressed a fondness that I had never seen from anyone before. The clouds above slowly moved out of the way. A glint of light caught my eye; I turned to look at him as well. He was shone like a million tiny crystals._

_I let out a peal of laughter. "This is what you were so worried about?" I asked, sitting up._

_Edward sat up as well, avoiding my eyes. He didn't say anything._

"_Don't make me read your mind," I warned._

"_I worry about a lot with you, Emme." He was being sincere. Slowly, he reached out and brushed his hand against my cheek._

_I closed my eyes._

_Throughout the clearing, wildflowers began to bloom into bursts of color._

_It was cloudy now. It looked as if it were about to rain. The Cullens stood in a large clearing, a field._

"_It's time," Alice announced._

_Lightning flashed, and a crack of thunder boomed almost immediately afterward._

_I huffed. "You know I can do that, right? Or were you just waiting around to be overly dramatic?"_

_Emmett looked at me with topaz eyes wide in surprise. "You can do that? Like on command?"_

_I glanced up at the sky. Almost immediately lightning tore across the sky only to hit a tree on the far side of the clearing. It was followed by even louder thunder than before and the crackle of a limb of the tree tearing off before crashing to the ground. I turned back to Emmett, brow raised._

_He was silent for a moment and then said, "So… you're telling me we can do this whenever we want?"_

_I laughed._

I stood up sharply, pushing the chair back so fast that it fell backward with a clatter. Several heads whipped around to me, but I didn't pay attention to anything. Instead, I was looking straight at the Cullen table. My head was pounding.

Jasper was shaking Alice, who was holding her head in her hands. I could tell he was speaking to her, but I couldn't hear what they were saying over the noise of the cafeteria. Emmett and Rosalie threw away their lunch trays as Jasper pulled Alice out of her seat. She was shaking her head but looked a lot better than she had a couple of moments ago.

Did she see what I saw?

I had to know.

Apparently, my tablemates had been trying to get my attention, but I ignored them as I marched across the cafeteria. I didn't think; I was acting on pure instincts. Something told me this was the right move.

But the Cullens were too fast for me. They were out the door before I could even make it halfway across the cafeteria. I stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not I should follow them. The bell rang before I could make a decision.

I had a feeling the Cullens wouldn't be there for the rest of the day. I would have to wait to get the answers that I so desperately craved.

I had no idea what I had seen. I mean, I knew what I had seen, but _what _was it? And how? Were they visions? Were they dreams? Were they from Alice, or were they from me? I doubted they were visions. Some of the things I had seen couldn't happen. Rosalie and Emmett running quickly up the stairs—Tanya launching herself off the rock—Edward shining like stars in the sunlight. What was going on?

Reluctantly, I went back to my now empty table. I picked up my things and went to Biology.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Long time no see! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Hopefully, I'll be able to post more since my job is as non-essential as it gets... I'm feeling inspired to create. Please rate and review :)_

_Edit 4/2/2020: I fixed the whole telepathy/telekinesis mix up so that bit should make more sense now!_


	5. Chapter 4: The Accident

_A/N:_

_Hey everyone! I'm back a lot sooner than usual, hope you don't mind :)_

_I just wanted to address something that was brought to my attention by a user over on AO3. In the last chapter, Emme practiced telepathy, not telekinesis. She was meant to practice telekinesis, but I thought it was more important for her to learn to shield her mind first. I forgot to change the word 'telekinesis' to 'telepathy.'_

_I am really making this story up as I go. I have a general plan for it, but other than that I am taking this chapter by chapter. There will probably be some minor continuity issues like that until the very end... and then I will be sure to go back and edit everything. This is story is meant to be for fun, so I'm not super worried about making it perfect. As long as you guys are enjoying it, so am I!_

_On that note... have fun with this chapter ;)_

* * *

The weekend passed by in a blur of magic.

Saturday we focused on precognition—something I was already entirely familiar with. Isolde and Blair were again shocked at how easily it came to me. I only needed them to tell me how to channel my energy into focusing on the unknown for the first vision to come to me on my own. They told I could look into different people, but the outcomes were always changing. When a person changed their mind, the future changed too.

And yet, some things were set in stone. The only thing that I could focus on without getting annoyed at the improbability of it all was the vision of me in the clearing with Edward. That never changed; it never shifted. It wasn't even a little bit hazy.

My aunts warned me that the future was fickle. It would drive people crazy if they obsessed over it too much. Some witches spent their entire lives just watching it and forgetting to live. I was grateful that they didn't look into my mind to see what I was seeing. The vision of Edward and I seemed too private to be shared for some reason.

Sunday we worked on clairvoyance. I learned how to learn things—all sorts of things. I could feel the energies that people gave off through their emotions. My aunts let me practice on them, but they weren't exactly the most emotional of people, so I wasn't sure if I had the hang of that craft or not.

I also could use objects to read certain things. When I touched Isolde's locket, I could see a shadowy version of my father handing it to her.

I could use reflective surfaces to scry and learn what people in faraway places were doing. My aunts had a scrying bowl, but I personally preferred the scrying mirror. The bowl had to be filled with a liquid in order to work. The more life energy it possessed, the better the images would turn out. My aunts liked to fill the bowl with animal blood instead of water as it worked better. I had no need to see anyone or anything that clearly, so the mirror suited my needs just fine. I would manage with the hazy images until I had reason to need to see something.

I wasn't nearly as good at clairvoyance as I was at telepathy and precognition. I knew why that was, of course.

And when I walked into lunch on Monday, that reason was sitting at the Cullen table along with his brothers and sisters.

I froze where I was in line, staring at them. I counted again, just to be sure. There were, unmistakably, five people at the table.

"Emme? What do you want?" Jessica asked impatiently from her place behind me in line.

I barely registered her.

"What's with her?" Mike wondered. I could feel the concern coming from the boy.

I shook my head a bit, trying to clear it. I didn't expect that Edward would be back today. I couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. I also didn't know what I was going to do about it if anything.

"I don't want anything. Maybe a soda. I feel one of those headaches coming on."

Jessica nodded and grabbed a Coke for me. I was glad that she bought my headache excuses so easily.

I avoided eye contact with the Cullens but sat within view of them again. By now, this was my regular seat. Jessica and Mike didn't seem to care, despite me sitting in between the two of them. Even though I knew Jessica was into Mike, she seemed to like the attention that sitting next to the new girl awarded her. I didn't even want to get into why Mike enjoyed sitting next to me.

Would Edward be feeling any animosity toward me after our last conversation? It had ended so abruptly because of me. Cautiously, I glanced towards him.

He looked better than he had the last time I had seen him. Maybe he really had been out sick. Maybe his absence from school had nothing to do with me at all. His pale skin looked a little more flushed, and the dark circles under his eyes were almost gone. Edward's hair was wet with melted snow and seemed to glow a darker bronze in the fluorescent lighting.

It was almost annoying how good he looked. Fluorescent lighting wasn't supposed to do anyone any favors, but he sat there, laughing with his siblings like some sort of model.

"Jesus, Emme. It's like talking to a wall. What are you looking at?" Jessica said, annoyed that I—again—hadn't been listening to a word she had been saying. The curly-haired girl followed my gaze straight to the Cullens. She smirked. "Edward Cullen is looking at you."

I looked up again, meeting his eyes. Even from across the room, I could tell they were brighter than they had been the last time I had seen them. I could feel the voices pushing against my mental shield, but it held strong. They shield managed to keep the voices out, as well as mine in. It was a huge relief.

Edward, for his part, didn't seem to be as upset as he had been in our last Biology class. He actually seemed to be smiling slightly, though it wasn't directed at me. It was probably something one of his siblings had said.

"Okay, so after school. Battle of the Blizzard, in the parking lot. Who's in?" Mike was asking excitedly.

Jessica immediately agreed. I sort of felt bad that Mike was so oblivious to her obvious feelings for him. A couple of others—Tyler and Eric—also agreed. I stayed silent while they continued to plot. I loved the snow, but I didn't like it in my clothes. And I certainly didn't like it thrown into my face.

In the end, it didn't really matter what the plans were. As Mike, Angela, and I walked to Biology, the snowfall had turned back into rain. I wondered briefly if it was my doing. I didn't feel any sort of exhaustion, but it still could have been my fault.

My table was still empty when I got to Biology. Mr. Banner had placed a microscope on each of the desks, along with a set of slides. I took my seat and waited anxiously. This would be our first partner lab exercise… and today I actually had a partner.

I sensed him before I saw him. I could feel myself tense with anticipation as Edward Cullen walked through the door and slid into the seat next to me. I couldn't figure out why I was so nervous. He was just a boy. An unbelievably attractive one, but a human boy nonetheless. I immediately pushed away the thought. He was more than that. He was a mystery, and I wanted to solve it.

I took a deep breath before turning to him. I wasn't a coward. I could face him, and I would—head-on. "Welcome back." I made sure to look him straight in the eyes this time, so he would know that what had happened last time was a onetime thing and (hopefully) something he had imagined.

Edward's hair was dripping wet from the rain and disheveled in a way that looked as if it were done purposely. His dark eyes—no, they were light, a warm amber—looked at me carefully, but his posture was open and relaxed. "Thank you," he replied quietly.

So he was talking to me.

I was even more excited than I had been when I first saw him in the cafeteria. I had a million questions but stopped myself from asking them. Firstly, though, I wanted to know where he'd been. I had to edit myself to not seem as nosy as I felt. "I hope everything's alright. You were gone for a long time."

He smiled slightly. It was a slightly crooked smile, but it fit him perfectly. "I was feeling under the weather. I feel much better now, though."

_Lie_. I knew he wasn't telling the truth immediately, but I didn't have time to question him further as Mr. Banner chose that moment to begin his lesson.

We were to examine the slides under the microscope and separate them into the correct phases of mitosis without the help of our textbooks. Over the last week, I had learned that my homeschooling had been fairly advanced in comparison to Forks High School. I had done this exact lab with a number of different types of slides. I knew what to look for.

"Ladies first?" Edward offered.

I glanced at him, surprised, before turning the microscope to me. I adjusted the objective and looked briefly into the lens. "Prophase," I murmured.

"Do you mind?" Edward asked before I could change the slide.

I laughed softly. Of course he would want to double-check. "Be my guest," I replied, sliding the microscope towards him. His hand brushed mine as he made to take it from me.

I sucked in a breath as our fingers met. I felt what I could only describe as an electric shock pass between the two of us. His fingers were ice-cold, and yet my hand was on fire where our fingers had touched. I ripped my arm away, hoping he hadn't noticed. That sort of shock wasn't normal for a human. I carefully studied him.

I didn't pick up on any sort of weird feelings; I felt a slight concern mixed with a lot of rigidity. I wanted to know what was going through his mind, but I didn't want to invade his privacy. I wanted to solve his mystery, but I didn't want to be invasive about it. This would be a whole lot easier if I didn't have any morals. I blamed my mother for bringing me up in a way that saw humans as people with rights like witches had. Not all witches practiced the same ethics.

"Prophase," he agreed. He wrote the word onto the worksheet in an elegant script. It looked like some of the writing in the Wildes Grimoire. It was beautiful, of course. Like everything else about him.

Edward switched out the slides. He barely glanced at the second one before declaring it to be anaphase.

I grinned. "Do you mind?" I asked, sending his previous words back at him.

He smirked and turned the microscope to me, careful not to touch me again. So he had noticed.

I looked at the slide, and quickly saw he was correct. I gave him a nod, and he wrote 'anaphase' onto the worksheet. We finished the rest of it within the next three minutes in exactly the same way. I looked around noticing that no one else was even close to being done. I sat next to Edward feeling suddenly awkward. I wanted desperately to talk to him, but I didn't know how.

His musical voice interrupted my thoughts. "Why did you move to Forks?" The question might have seemed rude but for his tone; he was genuinely curious.

I was hesitant to answer him, but for some reason, I was even more hesitant to lie to him. "I came to live with my aunts."

He seemed puzzled by my answer. "What about your mother and father?"

I glanced away from him nervously. My mother and father weren't exactly comfortable topics of conversation. I grasped at my hands in my lap to give my nervous energy something to do. "It's a bit of a long story…"

He smiled a genuine smile. It took me aback. It was dazzling. "I think we have some time."

"My father died when I was young," I sighed. I didn't know why I was telling him this, but I wanted to be honest with him.

The smile was erased from his face immediately. Despite the topic, I wanted to bring it back. The furrow between his brows was endearing. The concern in his eyes was surprising. But I didn't want him to pity me. I didn't want him to feel anything negative at all, actually.

"It's okay. It happened ages ago. I hardly remember him."

"What about your mother?"

I dropped my chin into my palm, leaning on the desk as I fully turned my attention to him. Edward stared at me, waiting for me to continue. I had his full attention. I had to choose my words carefully so I didn't reveal anything I wasn't supposed to. "My mother… remarried."

"And you didn't like him?"

"Well, no. Ash was alright from what I could tell. She made sure to keep us separate though. It was like she led two different lives."

"I can see how that would be difficult," he mused.

"It was. My mom wasn't the same after my father died. Ash made her more like her old self. I appreciated that. But my… grandparents…" I hesitated to try to explain the Council's decision in a way that wouldn't be out of the ordinary for a normal human. "They didn't like him at all. They told my mother that if she didn't stop seeing him, they would… take everything away from us. They owned our house and gave her a monthly allowance, you see." It was close enough to the truth.

"They didn't ask how you felt about this first?"

I scoffed at the idea of the High Council asking me how I felt about anything, let alone the situation with my mother. "Why would they? They already didn't agree with how she was raising me. They wanted me to follow in my father's footsteps, not my mothers. They wanted her out of the way—so she left."

Edward finally broke eye contact with me. He looked sheepish like he regretted bringing the topic up.

Strangely enough, I didn't. It was nice to be able to talk to someone about it—as much as I could, anyways. "I was furious," I laughed.

He looked at me again, expression of shock and curiosity clear on his perfect face. Edward clearly hadn't expected me to laugh.

"I'd never been so angry in my life. I yelled at them and told them I'd rather leave than stay within a hundred miles of them." I didn't mention accidentally setting the place on fire, though the thought brought a grin to my face. "My aunts—my father's sisters—had already left after my father died because they didn't agree with… my grandparents' decisions. So I decided to come here and live with them instead."

Edward looked like he was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Mr. Banner.

"You didn't think Emerine should get a chance with the microscope, Edward?"

"Emme," he corrected automatically, his eyes not moving from mine. "And she actually identified three out of five."

Mr. Banner turned his attention to me. "Have you done this lab before?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Boston?"

"Salem," I muttered under my breath, though I supposed it didn't really matter. "Not really. I was homeschooled."

This seemed to surprise him. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing you two are lab partners." I couldn't help but look into his thoughts just a little bit, just to make sure he believed that I had done my fair share of the work. _So the other kids can get a chance to learn something for themselves._

I frowned. It wasn't my fault Edward and I already knew what we were doing.

I looked back to Edward. He was looking at me curiously. Again, I wondered what he thought. It occurred to me that I had no problem looking into Mr. Banner's mind—or even Jessica's and Alice's for that matter—but I was extremely hesitant to look into Edward's. It was so tempting, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Mr. Banner called the class back to attention to go over the answers after collecting our papers. I didn't pay him any attention.

I could _feel_ Edward next to me. The curiosity and relief were coming off him in waves, though why I had no idea. I was equally curious if I was being honest with myself.

"You look like you want to ask me something else," I whispered to him.

He immediately turned to me, gold eyes wide in shock. "Am I that easy to read?"

I shot him a smile. "Not easy enough." I couldn't stop the hint of challenge in my voice.

"That's probably for the best." His voice also reflected a hint of challenge.

The electricity between us was obvious. He _knew_ something was off about me, just like I _knew _something was off about him. And both of us wanted to know what it was.

* * *

The next day, I woke up to soft light streaming through my window.

Something was wrong. It wasn't supposed to be this silent or bright.

I ran over to the window only to see it was snowing. There was already dusting on the ground, and while it wasn't quite sticking the roads yet, it looked like all the rain from yesterday had frozen solid.

I dressed quickly in some maroon jeans, a warm black and white sweater, and black riding boots. I was sure to grab a hat and scarf from my closet as well.

My aunts were waiting for me when I went downstairs.

"Good morning, Emerine," they said together.

I looked at them wearily. They normally left me to my own devices before I went to school. To see them now meant they wanted something from me.

"You'll notice it's iced outside," Blair began.

"Make sure you clear the driveway before you leave for school," Isolde finished.

I felt my brows draw together. "Wait, what?"

They laughed; it would have been eerie if I hadn't known them as well as I did. They had clearly been waiting to spring something like this on me. "You heard us," Isolde shrugged. "The keys are in the car. It'll unlock when you're done," she finished before heading into the kitchen.

"I recommend heat," Blair smiled, giving me a wink. Then, she turned and followed her sister.

I groaned, grabbing my backpack and trudging outside. Just to be on the safe side, I tried the door handle on the Infiniti. It was locked, just as Isolde had said it would be.

Okay… I could do this. I had used heat before when I accidentally set my old house on fire. I could do it again. I thought back to what I was feeling when the High Council told me they had given my mother an ultimatum and she had left me. I hadn't lied when I told Edward I was more furious than I had ever been. Those feelings were still inside me. It was still a fairly fresh wound, after all.

I felt a familiar burning sensation in the pit of my stomach. It was exactly how I felt the last time I used fire magic. Except for this time, I knew what was going on. I wanted the flames to come. I could feel the heat grow in my palms. I glanced down to see that my right hand was sparking. I held it out, palm facing the sky. I needed more.

I fed the feelings into my stomach, stoking the embers within me. My palm burst into flame. The fire dimmed as I felt a jolt of excitement for succeeding so far. I tried to control the emotions inside me, keeping them from changing too much. _Father. Mother._ _The High Council_. It really wasn't fair. I didn't know any other witches whose lives were so… messy. It still wasn't enough, though.

I was growing impatient. I wanted to get to school; I was eager to go. The thought gave me pause. I knew I wasn't eager to learn or see my new friends. I knew it was because I wanted to see Edward Cullen.

My aunts' entire yard burst into flame.

I shrieked as the flame in my hand grew, singeing my coat sleeve. Immediately, the fire went out. My concentration had been broken, and the yard was no longer on fire. There was absolutely no ice within the premises of the wards.

I felt my energy leave me. I had woken up feeling well-rested, but I certainly didn't anymore. I had definitely overdone it.

I heard the doors to the Infiniti unlock. I grabbed my backpack off the ground next to me—also singed—and threw it into the car grumpily. I decided I didn't like starting out the day feeling this drained. I wouldn't have had to if I could just control my stupid emotions… or better yet, be able to use my magic without resorting to negative feelings at all.

I found a parking space in the middle of the lot. Clearing out the driveway made me later than usual, but I was still early enough that the lot wasn't full. I climbed out of the SUV and walked over to the passenger side to grab my bag. The ground was icy, but I managed not to slip. I took a second to lean against the black vehicle. I was so tired.

I felt someone probe at my mental shield.

I looked up to meet eyes with Edward.

He was across the parking lot in the front row, standing next to Alice, but I didn't give the girl thought. Instead, I was wondering why he had such an expression of confusion on his face.

And that's when I heard it.

Edward's facial expression twisted from one of concern to one of horror. I tore my eyes away from his to see his sister's face looked much the same, before finally landing on a dark blue minivan. The vehicle was skidding across the icy parking lot, accompanied by a horrendous screeching sound that was echoing through the student lot. I could see the tires twisting back and forth. The driver was turning the wheel frantically, trying to get some sort of traction on the road. It didn't work. The van was heading right for the passenger side of my car, and I was standing in between the point of impact.

I didn't have time to react. I had enough time to register the words '_Not her!_' ring through my mind in a clear, musical voice that was laced with panic. And then, something hard hit me in the side.

I fell to the ground, my head cracking against the icy asphalt. I sat up quickly. Whatever had hit me wasn't the van. No, the van had hit my aunts' car, bounced, and was heading towards me for a second time.

A voice cursed next to me. I finally noticed that someone was with me. Their arm was wrapped around me. That someone threw out a hand against the van, stopping it from hitting me. The van molded under the white hand like putty, lifting from the ground.

Edward was holding the van.

I didn't wait for him to drop it. On instinct, I threw my hands out making contact with the van. It was pushed back with a force that could only be described as unnatural… which it was. It slid across the parking lot fast—too fast for it to have just bounced off my car—and promptly burst into flame.

My eyes widened in shock. I guess my mind had still been set on fire mode from this morning, not that I had any control over what I was doing. It was a life and death situation, and I seemed to be a fighter.

Everything thing was silent for a moment. I glanced at Edward, who still had his solid arm wrapped around me protectively. He must have been the one to push me out of the way when he realized the van was going to hit me. But how did he get across the parking lot so fast? And better yet, how did he have enough strength to not only stop the van but pick it up?

"Are you all right, Emme?"

That's when I felt my energy began to drain out of me. I had used too much magic too close together.

I met his amber—no, they were dark brown now—eyes. He was staring at me, apprehension etched across his features.

All I could manage was a hum of agreement before my world faded to black.


	6. Chapter 5: Confrontations

When I came to, I immediately felt… weird.

My entire body was tingling. I felt as if I was surging with adrenaline. I suddenly remembered what had happened, and my eyes shot open in alarm.

I surveyed my surroundings as I sat up. I was lying on a small bed in a room with at least half a dozen other matching ones. I registered that Tyler Crowley was laying on a bed similar to mine in the corner across from me looking worse for wear. He had a couple of bandages wrapped around his head and forearm. Upon further examination, I saw little spots of blood starting to show through the gauze, and suddenly the reason why I was surging with energy made sense.

I was definitely in a hospital, and I needed to get out _fast_.

As quietly as I could, I threw my legs over the bed. Tyler had his eyes closed, but he wasn't unconscious. I was hoping I could just slip out of the room unnoticed.

My hopes were dashed when Edward Cullen appeared at the door as soon as I reached it, blocking my escape. A fresh wave of memories came to me: Edward appearing at my side from across the parking lot, Edward pushing the van away from me, Edward lifting it so my legs wouldn't be crushed. And then I had gone and blasted the damn van out of the way and set it on fire.

I looked at him, eyes narrowed skeptically. He wasn't human, and I knew it. I wasn't human, and he knew it. He didn't seem to view me in the same light at the moment though; his dark eyes flew over me frantically, as if he was looking for something.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he chided. He sounded like a parent chastising a child.

"I'm fine."

Our conversation had attracted the attention of Tyler. "Emme! Are you all right? I'm so sorry! I was going too fast, and the van hit the ice wrong… I tried to stop it! I could have killed you…"

I turned to Tyler reluctantly. I didn't want to be around him at the moment. His blood was getting to be too much for me. I could snap at any second, but it would be rude to ignore his apology. I didn't want him to worry about me when there was nothing to worry about. "It's okay, Tyler. I'm perfectly fine. I promise."

"I don't even understand how you got out of the way so fast…"

I shot Edward a glance. I felt him tense up beside me, waiting for what I was going to say. Any thoughts of me imagining the whole ordeal went out of my mind. He wouldn't be looking at me like that if he didn't have something to hide. "Edward was standing right next to me. He pulled me out of the way."

"Oh," Tyler said dumbly. "I didn't even see you, Cullen. Are you okay?"

As Edward brushed off the boy's concern, I slipped around him and moved into the hallway. The relief was immediate, but I was still humming. I was in a hospital, after all.

"Not so fast," Edward chuckled, suddenly standing in front of me. "You haven't been checked out yet. You hit your head. You could have a concussion."

My head didn't feel as if I had hit it at all, and I told him as much. "My head is fine, Edward." I began, crossing my arms across my chest. "How are your hands?"

"My hands?" He looked genuinely confused by my question.

I glanced around to make sure no one would hear our conversation. No one was near. "Yeah. You know, stopping a van with your bare hands would hurt a normal person."

Edward's reaction to my words was immediate. His flawless face grew serious. He looked straight into my eyes as if that would make me believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. "You think I stopped a van with my bare hands?" His tone was incredulous, but his eyes held the truth. He was worried.

"I don't think. I _know_. I saw you, Edward."

"No one will believe that, you know," he replied, almost mockingly.

I rolled my eyes. "They also wouldn't believe how fast you appeared next to me when you were standing on the other side of the parking lot."

Edward was careful to not change his features in a way that would give anything away. He was guarded.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I know you saw what I did, too. I'm not stupid, and neither are you. So whatever game you're trying to play, you should just stop now. It'd save us both a lot of trouble."

"Why does it matter?" he asked. I didn't like the annoyance that filled his musical voice—and I especially didn't like that it was directed at me… or that I'd caused it in the first place.

"You have a secret, Edward Cullen. And so do I. Are you the type of person to just let that go?"

"Can't you just thank me like a normal human?"

The energy crackled around me at the word. _Human_. He still thought I was a human. At least I had that going for me, I guess. "Thank you."

Edward closed his eyes, almost as if he was in pain. "You're not going to drop this."

"Of course not," I challenged. "I don't know how you did it, but I will find out eventually."

"I hope you enjoy disappointment, Emme."

We scowled at each other in silence for a moment before I was distracted by Tyler Crowley being rolled past us on his gurney towards a room that was presumably for x-rays. Being close to his blood was too much, and I had reached my limit. The lights in the hallway began to flicker.

"Why'd you do it? You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble if you had just left me to my fate."

Edward brought his attention back to me. His eyes held all sorts of emotions that I couldn't even begin to process, but his voice said something different. "I don't know." He was so quiet, I almost didn't hear him.

For some reason, my stomach felt as it had sunk to my toes. His answer wasn't something that I wanted to hear. I wanted him to tell me that I was worth saving. I wanted him to tell me that he trusted me.

I didn't stop to think about what that meant.

I had to leave before I couldn't control myself anymore. I couldn't risk using any more magic today seeing as I had already been left unconscious once. I pushed past Edward, sprinted through the ER, and then out the hospital doors. He didn't follow me.

As soon as the cool air hit me, I immediately felt better. My skin stopped tingling, and the extra energy from earlier slowly left my body leaving me drained. It was to be expected. I had used way too much magic for one day. I sat down on the curb, putting my head in my hands. I was so tired. My feelings were going haywire, but I wasn't sure if it was because of my magic or because of Edward.

I decided to walk back home. I'm sure someone had called my aunts to let them know what had happened, though they had probably figured it out for themselves. If they didn't have the foresight to go pick up the Infiniti, then we would deal with it later. They wouldn't chance coming to pick me up at the hospital if they could help it, though. It began to drizzle, but it strangely made me feel better. I set off in the direction I assumed our home was in.

I made it home about half an hour later with no problems. The walk had calmed me down in a way that I desperately needed, but it had made me even more exhausted than I already was. I registered that the SUV was parked in the driveway before making my way inside.

Aunt Isolde immediately thrust a mug of something in my hands. I didn't even have the strength to question her about what it was.

"Your aunt has been calling it a pepper up potion ever since she read Harry Potter," Blair said, rolling her eyes.

I chuckled and took a sip. I had read Harry Potter, of course. Most of it was utter nonsense, as I was coming to find out. It was still incredibly entertaining. The concoction didn't taste like much of anything, although I wasn't particularly fond of the thick texture. It slid down my throat with difficulty like a mostly frozen milkshake—except this was warm. As soon as I swallowed it, however, I immediately felt better.

"Why don't you go take a nap? We'll skip training until you feel better," Isolde suggested.

I didn't argue with her. I had already planned on doing just that. I trudged up the stairs and threw myself into bed.

* * *

I woke the next morning feeling infinitely better than I had the day before. I was still kind of drowsy and heavy, but I didn't feel like I was about to pass out at any second like I had yesterday after leaving the hospital.

I joined my aunts for breakfast, not bothering to hurry. School had already started. I was planning on going, but I didn't care when I showed up as long as I made it before the end of lunch.

"Morning," I greeted, sliding into my seat at the table in the breakfast nook. I helped myself to a slice of ham and some eggs.

"Feeling better, Emerine?" Blair asked, eyeing me from over the Grimoire. She was turned to a page at the very back, writing something in neat script.

"Much," I nodded. "The sleep definitely helps." After a moment I added, "The food, too."

"You don't have to go to school today, you know. You could take another day to rest up," Isolde suggested.

I immediately shook my head. "We might have a problem, actually." I tried to make my voice sound casual, but it was pointless trying to hide things from them. "I may or may not have used magic in front of a boy from school. And he may or may not have noticed. And then he may or may not have asked me about it."

My aunts shared a look.

I was immediately suspicious. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Blair said, returning to the Grimoire.

"That look!" I put my fork down, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Isolde exhaled loudly, taking our plates to the sink. She was stalling. "It's nothing, Emerine. We will let you deal with this situation as you see fit."

I was flabbergasted. "What?" Witches weren't supposed to reveal themselves to the humans. It was one of the rules of the High Council of Magic.

"It isn't our place to say, Emerine. Tell the Cullen boy whatever you want. It all has the same outcome."

This conversation was clearly not going how I thought it would. What on earth could Blair mean by _that_? The two of them obviously knew something that I didn't.

"And another thing," Blair continued. "We know how new you are to this way of life. Everyone makes the mistake of using too much magic early on, and we understand that you wouldn't have even used as much magic as you did yesterday if it hadn't been a life or death situation. But you must understand, Emerine, magic is only here to _assist_ us. We can't use it whenever we want. We are finite, and magic is not. It _will_ use us before we can use it."

"You weren't close to death yesterday, but if the Cullen boy hadn't been there, you could have used too much and been in just as much trouble as if the van actually hit you. That's why self-control is so important. No more setting the lawn on fire just because you want to melt some ice."

Isolde was right. I had to learn to control myself and my emotions.

* * *

I made it to school just in time to join everyone for lunch.

I wasn't really excited to be the center of attention. I knew my classmates would bombard me with questions the first chance they got—especially Jessica. But the sooner I answered them, the sooner the whole ordeal would be over.

"Oh my gosh, Emme! I was so worried when you didn't turn up for Trig this morning! I saw what happened yesterday in the parking lot. You totally could have been killed!" Jessica gushed as I sat down at our table.

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."

"So what happened?" she pressed.

Tyler had not returned to school today, late or otherwise. It was solely up to me to set the rumor mill straight.

"Tyler was going too fast in the parking lot and hit the ice wrong. The van came right towards me, but Edward pulled me out of the way just in time." My eyes moved instinctually to the Cullen table; it was almost second nature for me to stare at them at some point throughout the lunch period. None of them were looking at me, though. "If he hadn't have been standing right next to me, I don't know what would have happened."

Jessica looked confused and followed my gaze to his table. "Edward Cullen? I didn't see him standing next to you."

I nodded. "He was asking me about a Biology assignment when it happened. He had to get checked out at the hospital, too. Tyler seemed to be the only one to actually get any injuries, although he was okay too when I left him yesterday." I hoped talking about Tyler would be enough to change the subject away from Edward.

Jessica had already started recounting my story as soon as the others joined us at the table. She was reveling in the attention, but my focus was elsewhere, as per usual.

I had to talk to Edward about what had happened. I saw him do something that wasn't human. He saw me use magic. He had a secret to keep, but I wanted to make sure that he wasn't a threat. I needed to know that he was safe to be around. My aunts made it seem like it didn't really matter, but I was still nervous. If he was a warlock…

I had to stop myself from going down that road.

Edward wasn't a warlock unless he was amazingly gifted at cloaking himself. Magic users can nearly always sense other magic users. He had to be something else. Alice, too, for that matter. Neither one of them seemed like a threat, but the entire family was obviously off. The humans knew enough that they subconsciously stayed away from them. Why else would teenagers practically ignore the ethereally beautiful family? So why did I feel such a magnetic pull towards the Cullens—specifically Edward?

This was ridiculous. We were being ridiculous. Surely Edward could see that? I refused to sit here silently fuming and wondering when I could _do_ something about it.

Abruptly, I stood up from my seat, interrupting Jessica's fourth retelling of the accident. "I'll be right back," I murmured, leaving my friends mystified, watching after me as I practically stomped towards the Cullen table.

Every last one of them was avoiding eye contact with me when I arrived. I could practically feel the anxiousness radiating off of each of them in waves. I could only assume that they all knew about what happened. Edward had his gaze—glare, more like—fixed on Alice, who looked somewhat apologetic.

Rosalie was the first one to acknowledge me. I noticed she had the same golden eyes that Edward had had but much less patience. "What do you want?" Her tone was callous as if I was the reason for every single thing that had gone wrong in her life.

I wouldn't play her game. I rearranged my features into something that I hoped resembled pleasantness. "Hello… I'm Emme Wildes. I don't believe we've met yet."

She rolled her eyes and didn't reply.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your… lunch." None of them were even eating. "But I'd like to speak to Edward for a moment if that's all right."

Edward stiffened when I had said his name, but he didn't seem surprised. He took a beat, still facing away from me.

I briefly wondered if he thought he could ignore me away. I could feel myself becoming more and more irritated. I was trying to play nice, and I was being met with resistance from every single one of them. I knew that it was probably for the best if I just left them alone. Our two families had existed in Forks amicably before I came along. But that was before they knew the Wildes' had magic. Who knew what they would do with that information. I had proved myself trustworthy by lying for Edward. Surely they could do me the courtesy of telling me why. Or at the very least agree to do the same for me.

My frustrations slowly faded away, replaced with a feeling of contentment. I furrowed my brow in confusion. I was certainly not content. I didn't get any of the answers I wanted. My heart started to race as I tried to get my feelings under control. If I let them rage like this, I wouldn't be able to control my magic. The thought sent a panic through me, yet the contentment just got stronger. Something wasn't right.

That was when I made eye contact with Jasper Hale.

A whole new wave of emotions hit me, but these ones felt even more wrong. I was anxious and uneasy. I was so worried and nervous. I was angry. I was excited. I felt a surge of adrenaline surge through my veins. None of it made any sense.

What did make sense, however, was that Jasper was like Edward and Alice. He was doing something to my emotions. I _knew_ it, and I was always right.

The lights started flickering overhead again. Not enough for it to be weird, but enough for me to notice and know that I had to pull myself together before I did something worse.

"Stop it," I hissed toward him after another wave of satisfaction was pushed at me. My voice was low and cold. I wanted him to believe my next words. "Or I'll make you."

And then he and Edward were both out of their chairs, almost faster than I could follow. A few students looked our way. Apparently my being at the Cullen table was weird enough; the scene that I was causing made it even more unusual. I didn't want to attract any more attention to our conversation.

Edward had placed himself in front of me. If I hadn't known any better, it seemed as if he was protecting me from his brother. His body language was almost animalistic. I couldn't see his facial expression, but the surprise on Rosalie and Emmett's faces said enough about what it looked like.

Jasper looked over Edward's shoulder into my eyes. His gaze was cold and calculating. I didn't sense any hostility. To him, I was simply a bug that needed to be squished.

Alice stood up slowly, placing her arm on Jasper's. "It's all right, Jazz."

"This isn't the place, man," Emmett agreed.

It took a second, but he finally sat down—albeit reluctantly.

I had no idea what exactly was going on, but I knew enough to realize that none of it meant anything good for me. I stayed silent.

Finally, Edward turned to me. His face was resigned. "After you." He gestured towards the door.

I shot the rest of the Cullens a wary glance before turning my back on them and leaving the cafeteria. I settled on a bench that was outside of the building off to the side. Edward chose to remain standing. It wasn't raining, but it was windy. The cold breeze felt refreshing after whatever that had been in the cafeteria.

There was no point beating around the bush. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."

Edward ran his hand through his already tousled bronze hair. "I'm not going to tell you anything, Emme. I can't."

My heart quickened at the sound of him saying my name; I tried my best to ignore it. "I need to know."

His golden eyes fixed on my face, pleading. "Just drop it. Please."

The look he was giving me made me want to agree, but the nagging voice in the back of my head knew I couldn't. "I can find out without your help, you know. I don't want to, but I can."

"I wish you wouldn't." His musical voice was barely above a whisper.

It was silent for a moment while I considered this. Could I just drop this? Could I pretend like nothing ever happened? Could we both just go on, living our normal lives?

I wanted to believe so, if only for him. But I couldn't without knowing for sure. So, I asked the question I had been dreading. "Is there anything that I have to… worry about?" _Am I safe? Is my family safe?_

Slowly, almost as if he was fighting against himself, he reached out and touched my cheek. Just like last time, his touch was icy cold and electrified my skin. My face grew warm. My heart stuttered. It took me a moment to realize I had frozen; I had to actually remind myself to breathe.

"You have _nothing_ to fear, Emme."

And then he was gone.

* * *

Edward and I ignored each other as best as we could over the next three months.

As weird as it was, my gut told me to trust Edward when he said I had nothing to worry about when it came to him and his family. He had obviously decided that he could trust me as well.

But I was utterly and perfectly miserable.

It was torture having to sit next to him every day in Biology but not be able to talk to him. I tried to tell myself it was better for him if I stayed away. A witch shouldn't get involved with non-magical lives. I could be strong enough to ignore whatever this pull between us was. I could. Or that's what I told myself every night before I fell asleep.

So, I did the only other thing I could think of that would divert my Cullen centric thoughts; I threw myself into learning magic. Miraculously, I had managed to pass my trials progressing from unranked to Thridde such a short time. My aunts applauded my work ethic, but they didn't realize that the only reason I did it was that it was a distraction that I desperately craved.

To no one's surprise, I first mastered precognition and clairvoyance. My aunts and I knew it was because of the Cullen children. My aunts also knew that I was very much not taking their advice and getting closer to them. They took to tiptoeing around the subject whenever I tried to bring it up in search of more information. They knew something, and yet were doing everything they could to keep it from me.

I spent a good majority of my time cursing my morals. I could probably read their thoughts, but something told me that it would be better if I didn't.

My aunts also noticed that I was hesitant to use any sort of magic outside of training. I didn't want to admit it, but I didn't like how exhausting it was to train so hard. I didn't want there to be a chance of something like the van incident happening again. In my studies, I learned that many witches got addicted to magic and either went insane trying to figure out how to get more energy or put themselves in comas after becoming addicted to the power it offered. I didn't want either to happen to me.

After I tested for precognition and clairvoyance, I turned to potion brewing. It seemed like the safest option as it took little to no magic to do. Anyone could brew potions, not just witches, although the humans didn't usually know that; if they did, it was rare that they had access to the information.

I spent a lot of time in the forest around my aunts' house. Many of the ingredients could be found there, and I enjoyed the comfort that the forest brought. Blair and Isolde were also glad that since I was around, they didn't have to go to town anymore. I didn't mind running to town for them, either.

Oddly enough, I was beginning to fit in in Forks. When I needed new boots for my forest excursions, I went to Mike's parent's store. When Jessica and Angela wanted to hang out, I met them at the diner. My face wasn't unfamiliar to them anymore. Slowly but surely I was becoming less of the new girl and more and more just a regular girl—which is all I had ever wanted, really.

After my father's murder, my mother's abandonment, and my aunt's training me in magic, it wasn't something I ever thought I would get.

But I felt so empty.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Hope everyone enjoyed this next chapter! Shout out to everyone that has reviewed and followed this story so far. You guys are the reason why I've been updating so quickly. I've also had a couple of people reach out to me about this story's playlist... if you're interested in that, you can message me for either a Spotify link or a list. It will also be posted on this story's tumblr page... the URL is: devils-playground_

_And a quick question: do you guys enjoy that this story has been following the original Twilight plot kind of closely? Or would you prefer it to branch off and do its own thing? I am at a bit of a crossroads now, and I think I know what I'm going to do. But I still appreciate input from the people that actually read this haha. Let me know. Until next time!_


	7. Chapter 6: Suitors and Soulmates

It was raining as usual when I arrived at school on the first of March.

Unlike usual, however, I was in a terrible mood.

I had woken up that morning to a premonition of Mike asking me to the girl's choice dance—a dance that I wasn't even going to. I had always known he entertained some sort of feeling for me, but I hadn't put much thought into it until now. I had always treated him as I did any of my other friends in Forks. And while I hated to have to let him down, I would definitely do it. Even if I was into him, he was a human; nothing would ever work out between us.

If I hadn't have had the vision, I would have still known something was up because Jess didn't talk to me at all during Trig and Spanish. This was monumental. Normally, I couldn't get the petite girl to be silent. Jessica was always buzzing with something to say. I almost missed her mindless chatter.

Sure enough, Jess had abandoned her regular seat next to Mike and me at lunch in favor of sitting next to Eric on the other side of the table. She was speaking with Eric much too animatedly for it to be considered normal behavior for her. It was obvious Jess was trying to distract herself. I felt bad; I was also trying to distract myself from someone. It wasn't fun.

Mike for his part, didn't do anything unusual. He was blissfully unaware of Jessica's frosty feelings, but he did keep shooting her glances. If she had noticed, she probably would have been pleased.

I was trying to ignore Mike by focusing my energy conversing with Angela. It was easy to do. The willowy girl was incredibly smart and kind. But I knew I couldn't use her to avoid Mike forever.

After all, I had already seen what was going to happen in Biology.

Mike walked with Angela and me to class like he normally did. She liked to sit down and settle in for class the moment she arrived, however. Mike, on the other hand, had taken to perching himself on my desk while we waited for Mr. Banner to begin the lesson. I hadn't thought anything of it before; it was mostly just until we finished our conversation. Today was different, though.

Even though our conversation had finished the moment we walked through the door, he still lingered by my desk. The tension hung thick between us.

Despite being a teenager myself, I couldn't help but silently curse the lot of them. I wouldn't be in this situation if they could all just ignore their hormones and not have school dances.

"So…" Mike began. "The spring dance is coming up."

I hummed. "Oh yeah. That." It was hard to keep the distaste out of my tone. Dances weren't my thing. I'd never been to one, of course, but I didn't enjoy the thought of going anywhere that involved large crowds in gyms. Any sort of large crowd indoors wasn't really my thing. Too many variables.

"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go with me."

I was momentarily distracted by the sight of Edward stiffening next to me. He could obviously hear our conversation, but this led me to believe that he was actually interested in it. What excited me, however, was that this was the first time Edward had even acknowledged my existence in _months_.

I refocused my attention to Mike. His expression was exactly the same as it had been in my vision. He was optimistic. Mike really was a sweet boy, but I also knew Jessica liked him _and _had already asked him. That's not even to mention the fact that I didn't reciprocate his feelings even a little bit. "I thought Jess asked you?"

Mike looked down, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "She did this morning. I just told her I'd have to think about it."

I raised a brow disapprovingly. "Because of me, I assume?"

"Well… yeah," he agreed awkwardly.

I took a deep breath. How did I think he was sweet just a second ago? I'm pretty sure he was the most obnoxious kid on the planet. But I didn't want him to know that, so I made sure my voice was even when I spoke. "Go with Jess, Mike."

"Are you su—"

I cut him off before he could finish. "I'm not even going to the dance, anyways. I have a family thing that night." It was true enough.

Mr. Banner began the lesson then, thankfully, forcing Mike to his assigned seat.

I couldn't have told anyone what he was talking about, though. My mind was trying to focus on Mike's staring at me from his seat in the back. And I certainly wouldn't have guessed that today would be the day that Edward decided to speak to me for the first time since the cafeteria incident.

"He didn't stand a chance, did he?" he mused, amusement twinkling in his golden eyes.

I narrowed eyes, settling them on Edward. "I don't see how that's any of your business—unless you've decided to start speaking to me again."

"I haven't," Edward insisted.

I turned away from him, even more annoyed than when Mike asked me to the dance. "Then leave me alone, please. It's quite rude of you to tease me like that."

Out the corner of my eye, I saw his head tilt in my direction. He was curious. "What do you mean?"

The man was oblivious. "You think it's better for you and your family if I left you all alone, right?"

"Better for you, actually. But close enough."

What was that supposed to mean? He was infuriating. "Have you ever thought that maybe that is incredibly difficult for me to do? That I _still_ don't want to, even despite knowing you regret saving me from Tyler's stupid van?" I turned to meet his eyes again; they were wide with shock.

My vision began to fade around the edges.

_I was in a car. Edward was behind the wheel, but he wasn't driving. We were just sitting there in silence. I was dripping wet, but I wasn't cold._

_I wanted to break the silence, but I couldn't bring myself to do it._

"_Are you human?" he asked softly._

_I weighed my choices before I replied. My aunts said I could handle this as I wanted to, and I desperately wanted to tell him the truth. I wanted to trust him and show him that he could trust me in turn. I could no longer ignore the pull between us. It was too exhausting. I knew it was hard on him, too._

"_No." My voice was so low that at first, I wasn't sure he had heard me._

"_Do it again."_

My sight came back abruptly as I was pulled out of the vision. It was a short one, so I doubted anyone noticed.

Until I looked at Edward, that is. He had been shocked at my previous words when I last saw him, but he had obviously noticed my absence of mind. He was staring at me so intently I had to break eye contact.

"I don't regret saving you, Emme," he said quietly. He was being sincere; the words he spoke were true.

I decided. I would give Edward the rest of the week to figure out what he wanted. And then, I'd stop caring. Because I could only put myself second for so long. My entire life, I had been selfless. I put my mother first, respected her wishes or the High Council's wishes. I'd respect Edward's too if he wanted to try to stay away. But if he didn't, then I wouldn't. I was tired of trying.

I wanted to get closer to Edward Cullen.

* * *

Eric Yorkie was waiting for me by the Infiniti when I walked out of school that afternoon.

'_Just be chill. Girls like chill. She won't go with you if you act all twitchy and weird._'

I groaned, halting my steps. I was so distracted by the events of this afternoon that I had I accidentally probed his thoughts when I finally noticed him standing there. I absolutely did not like what I saw. Resignedly, I approached the gangly boy.

"Hey Emme," he greeted.

"Hi, Eric. What's up?" I couldn't hide the slight chill of disinterest that was reflected in my tone.

He shifted awkwardly. "I was just wondering… if you wanted to go to the spring dance together."

I didn't miss a beat. "I'm sorry, Eric. I'm not going to the dance." I threw my bag in the passenger seat of the car and began to walk to the other side, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

"Oh, okay."

The guilt hit me almost immediately. It wasn't really Eric's fault that I had been in a bad mood all day. Plus, it took courage to ask someone out—courage that I wouldn't have originally expected from Eric. "Thanks for asking me, though." I offered him a small smile.

It seemed to placate him a little bit as he wandered back towards the school not looking entirely worse for wear. I climbed into my aunt's SUV, eager to be off of the school grounds. The wind was picking up in my haste, and I made sure to take a deep breath so as not to conjure anything I didn't mean to. It could have been a coincidence, but I couldn't be too careful. Conjuring storms when I was upset seemed to be something I did more often than not, although I had gotten much better at controlling it.

I pulled out of my parking spot only to find myself immediately trapped behind Edward Cullen's shiny silver Volvo. He was waiting on his siblings, blocking the exit in front of me. I rolled my eyes in frustration, only to hear a tapping on the glass of the car window.

I turned to see Tyler Crowley.

As much as I wanted to ignore him—I had a suspicion about what was about to happen—I rolled the window down. "Hi, Tyler." I wished more than anything that Edward's siblings would hurry up and get in the car so that I could make my escape.

"How's it going, Emme?" Tyler asked as if he didn't know. I had just seen him at lunch.

"Just waiting for Cullen to get out of the way," I replied honestly. Edward's siblings were loading themselves into the car, but Edward made no moves to leave. I saw his face turned toward the side mirror; he seemed to be grinning. He _knew_ what Tyler was about to do. It seemed as if he could hear us, and he was enjoying every second of it. Rather than focusing on how he knew what was being said from this distance like I probably should have, I steamed silently. I hoped Tyler wouldn't think my anger was directed at him.

"It's okay, it gives me a chance to ask you if you'd ask me to the spring dance."

I glanced at Tyler, but still kept most of my attention on Edward. He was openly laughing now. "I have a family thing that night. I won't be going," I muttered through gritted teeth. I suddenly found myself not caring if Tyler noticed my anger was directed at him or not.

"Yeah, Mike mentioned that," Tyler shrugged. "No worries. We always have prom." And then he left for his car.

My mouth fell open. Maybe I was being too easy on these boys—too kind, too empathetic. Maybe they just thought that friendship was flirting. I didn't think I had given any of them the impression that I liked them more than as a friend. I didn't see what was so good about me anyways other than being someone new for them to focus their attention on.

Edward was still chuckling in front of me.

Well, two could play at that game.

I focused my energy on the back wheel of his car, putting every last bit of annoyance I was feeling into what I was about to do. I glanced around to make sure no one was looking. The coast was clear. Discreetly, I held my hand out and twisted it to the right before jerking my arm to the left. The back wheel was wrenched off the Volvo with my movements.

I heard a couple of yelps from the car. The tire rolled clear across the parking lot, wheel hub still attached. Edward wasn't grinning anymore as he got out of the vehicle along with the rest of his family.

But I sure was. I let out a laugh at his facial expression. I couldn't even begin to try to hold it in, let alone try to adopt an innocent expression.

His head jerked up, and he looked right at me. Edward had definitely heard me. He looked confused.

I winked at him, threw the car in reverse, and backed out of the parking lot before anyone else could literally annoy me out of my energy.

* * *

I told my aunts about my display of telekinesis the moment I walked in the door.

They were disapproving at first, insisting that magic was only meant to assist us when we needed it and not meant for pranking our crushes.

"He's not my crush," I retorted immediately.

"Someone's defensive," Isolde teased.

"There's no shame in liking a mystery," Blair agreed. "Especially one that looks like that."

"Aunt Blair!" I gasped, horrified. I didn't bother to ask how she knew what he looked like without meeting him. More importantly, I didn't want to be having this conversation at all.

Isolde cackled from across the library, clearly in agreement.

"I had a premonition today…" I began after they had calmed down a bit. I wanted to change the subject, but more than that I needed advice. "I was with Edward, and he asked if I was human. And I actually told him the truth."

They shared a look. I hated when they did that.

"You two need to tell me what you know so I don't do anything stupid."

Isolde stopped what she was doing and came to sit on the sofa by her sister. "You know we were at your birth, right?"

This was news to me. "No… I don't remember either of you ever being in Salem. Mom didn't like to talk about when Dad was alive."

Blair nodded as if she knew this already. She probably did. "That sounds about right as far as Sara was concerned. But we were there."

"And the moment you were born, we had a vision."

"Together?" I asked, shocked. That was rare, even for twins.

"Yes," Isolde continued. "It was of you… with Edward Cullen."

I was beyond confused at this point. What did Edward have to do with my future? And why did they look so worried about it? "Okay…"

Blair sighed, looking visibly upset. "We can't get into the specifics of it. You know that we aren't supposed to meddle. Visions are usually subjective depending on a person's decisions, but this one has only gotten clearer the older you've gotten."

"We didn't even know _who_ he was until they moved here. We don't go to town often, but we saw him when we registered you for school. The Cullen boy is meant to be in your life," Isolde said simply, giving me a significant look.

The only time I had ever heard of someone that was meant to be in each other's lives was my parents, and that was only because they were soul—

"_What like soulmates_?" I screeched.

They flinched.

"We don't know for sure, of course," Blair tried to backpedal.

Isolde rolled her eyes. "Nothing is ever certain with premonitions. But we're as certain as we can be. You may not be in love with him yet. You hardly know each other. But you do feel a pull towards him, right?"

It was true. I had thought it was because he was just a mystery that I wanted to solve. But if Edward really was my soulmate, my one true partner in life, then my feelings would make a lot of sense.

"Okay, sure. Let's say that's true. It explains our connection, but it doesn't explain why he also seems to have some sort of magic even though he's not a warlock." I was thinking out loud, hoping my aunts would give me the answers I desperately craved.

"No, it doesn't. But we think that's something you should talk to him about first," Blair insisted.

Isolde shrugged. "Or figure it out for yourself. You have all the answers, you're just afraid of infringing on his privacy—which, if you think about it, is another reason that he could be your soulmate. Do you do that with anyone else?"

She was right. I had no issues going through anyone else's mind. Edward's was really the only one that I actively tried to stay out of. And if he really was my soulmate, then this changed everything. It would quite possibly be the only reason why I would tell him that I was a witch. He'd have to find out sooner or later. If a witch found her soulmate, she'd never choose to live without him.

"So he's going to find out that I'm a witch eventually?" I phrased it like a question, but it came out as more of a statement.

"As we said before—" Isolde began.

"Deal with it how you want to. The outcome is always the same," Blair finished.

I could tell this particular conversation was over, but we still continued our lesson.

Telekinesis days were one of the most fun to me. It made me feel as if I were the heroine, like Matilda or even (ironically) Prue Halliwell. It didn't seem to take as much energy to do as spell casting did, even though casting was way more versatile. My aunts wouldn't let me control people or animal movements, just inanimate objects. I didn't complain about that.

There was something frightening about the idea of controlling something that thought for itself.

* * *

I woke up in the middle of the night to the feeling that something was very wrong.

My room was bathed in yellow light. I glanced around to find the source. I quickly noticed the crystal that sat on my windowsill—normally a pale white—was emitting a harsh, yellow glow. The estate wards had been breached.

I shot out of bed and ran downstairs. My aunts were already there, waiting for me.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"We don't know," they said in unison.

Blair was clearly looking to the future, trying to see who—or what—was coming.

Isolde threw open the door and moved out onto the porch. She was always the more offensive of the two. Blair stayed inside, searching for what was out there. I followed Isolde hesitantly down the stairs and onto the front lawn.

"Whoever it is doesn't mean any ill intent, but they were not invited," she murmured to me.

My eyes scanned the large yard. There was nothing there, but the forest was a different story. "How do you know?" I asked.

Isolde relaxed, clearly deciding that there was no immediate danger. "There's no such thing as a ward that will keep things out if they have a mind to come in. We can put aversions in place—for example, humans that get too close will want to leave. But if they were really set on coming in, they could. The white ward crystals will glow with their intent. It turned purple for you when you arrived. A witch that was welcome. If you invited a human over—and please do not—it would glow green. Anything that was not invited but had no ill intent? The crystals would turn yellow like I'm sure you saw."

"What happens if they have bad intent and they cross the wards?"

"They'd glow red." Isolde turned on her heel and went back into the house. She seemed more annoyed at being woken up than shaken.

I could relate. Throughout the entire ordeal, I hadn't felt remotely as if I was in danger. I was more alarmed than anything. With one last look into the dark forest, I turned to follow my aunt.

I had a sneaking suspicion what—or more specifically who—had set off the wards.

* * *

I hadn't taken two steps from my car the next morning before crossing paths with Edward. It was like he was waiting for me. I felt a thrill shoot through me at the idea that he had finally decided we would stop ignoring each other. Perhaps I wouldn't have to wait until the end of the week after all.

That was before I remembered that he set me up yesterday to be accosted by Tyler Crowley, despite knowing that I wasn't even going to the dance to begin with.

I changed my features to resemble something less like anticipation and more like annoyance. "What do you want?" I asked, brushing past him and towards the school.

"Good morning to you, too," he grinned. He stayed by my side, despite my brisk pace. Edward didn't seem to be put off by my slight at all. In fact, he seemed pleased.

I sighed. His mood swings were something I would never be able to keep up with. I stopped abruptly and turned to him. "Glad to see you made it to school today. I couldn't help but notice you had some car trouble yesterday."

His grin was gone. "Trouble is putting it mildly. Rosalie had to order parts in order to fix it… luckily we have other vehicles." Edward gestured to the bright red BMW M3 parked next to a silver motorcycle.

My eyebrows raised in surprise. "Flashy."

Edward chuckled. "It's Rosalie's. She has a flair for the dramatic."

I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't exactly know Rosalie; I'd only spoken with her once and I wouldn't call it a positive experience.

It was quiet for a moment. I looked him over. He seemed to be excited about something, but I wasn't sure what. "Does this mean we are speaking to each other again?"

"We really shouldn't."

"But we're going to anyway?" I asked, somewhat hopefully.

"I'm already going to hell. Might as well do it thoroughly."

I rolled my eyes. "Now look who has a flair for the dramatic."

Edward shrugged it off. "You might disagree if you knew more about me."

"Might," I agreed. "But probably wouldn't. You would know why if you knew more about me." I couldn't help but grin at how frustrated he looked.

"You don't know how frustrating you are to me."

I laughed at that. I did know actually. I didn't have to feel his emotions—I could read it all over his face. But I could also feel his emotions. "That's like the pot calling the kettle black. You're somewhat easy for me to read though," I admitted.

"Usually I'm quite good at reading people. That would be a change, for once."

"It's probably good for you. You Cullen's can't have everything, you know," I teased, hoping he wouldn't take offense.

He didn't. He just smiled at me again. "Can I ask you something?"

I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion. "Sure…"

"I was wondering if a week from Saturday… you know, the day of the spring dance—"

"You have _got _to be kidding me." I turned from him and stormed into the building before I did or said something stupid.

"Wait!" he yelled after me, laughing. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."

I stopped when he'd asked me too, of course. I didn't want to say no to him. I noticed the bond between us again, seeing it in a new light.

"I was wondering if you'd like to spend Saturday with me since you seem to be uninterested in the dance."

I froze, looking at him. His face, his emotions: they were all genuine. Edward was really offering to spend the day with me on Saturday. He looked eager—hopeful even. It took everything I had to say no to him. "I'm sorry, Edward," I offered gently. "I really do have a family thing that day. It wasn't just an excuse to get out of going with Mike. And Eric… and Tyler."

His mood shifted slightly. Edward was good at hiding the disappointment in his face, but I could still feel it. I wanted to do anything I could to cheer him up again. I had an idea. It was probably a bad one, but I suddenly wanted him to agree more than he probably had wanted me to.

"Actually… why don't you join me on Saturday instead?" I asked.

Edward's mood shifted again, curious this time. "You're inviting me to a family event?"

When he put it like that it sounded incredibly over-eager and presumptuous of me, but I nodded anyway. "Yes, if you're up for it."

He was bound to find out about me sooner or later. I had three premonitions backing that fact up. Might as well get it over with. Maybe then he would finally trust me with his own secret—if I didn't figure it out before he finally told me. Maybe this would finally get him moving in the right direction. If my aunts were to be believed, I didn't even have to worry about him accepting my magic. We'd eventually end up together regardless.

"I don't know." He was wary. I couldn't fault him—especially if he had been the one at my house last night. "What exactly is this event?"

I smirked. "That's for you to find out when you get there. No details beforehand. You'll enjoy it though. Trust me."

Edward's eyes scanned me again, looking for something to read. I hoped that I looked honest enough. I wasn't lying; I really did think he'd enjoy it.

"Alright, then. Saturday," he agreed.

The bell rang then, and I went to English with a smile on my lips.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Thank you everyone for the kind reviews and follows/favorites! I can't even describe how excited I am when I log in and see notifications on this story. Your reviews were also very helpful to see where everyone's headspace is at. Based on that, we seem to be on the same page. The next chapter will probably be the last bit that follows closely to the events of _Twilight _before we start adding more witchcraft and the story gets a mind of its own. But don't worry... I took some time to actually flesh out the rest of the plot so it makes sense and is still true to the OG vibe and characters. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it._

_Til next time!_


	8. Chapter 7: Stunned

The moment I walked into Trig, I was intercepted by Jessica. She seemed to have been waiting for me at the door.

"Mike agreed to go with me to the spring dance!" she blurted. She spoke so fast that the sentence sounded like it was one word.

After translating her one-worded sentence to English and processing it, I found I was relieved. I was thankful that Mike had agreed to go with her. Hopefully, the pair would fall madly in love so I wouldn't have to worry about Mike's misplaced affection anymore. I chastised myself for the selfish thought, but I wasn't selfless enough to take the thought back. "That's great, Jess. You two are going to have a lot of fun together."

"I know!" she squealed. "I'm going to have to find a dress like ASAP. I think Angela asked Eric, and Lauren asked Tyler. I wonder if they'd be down to go dress shopping. You'll have to come too, of course. I know you aren't going, but we could always use an extra set of eyes. Are you sure you can't go, though? You know we would all love to have you there, even without a date."

I smiled at her choice of words. To anyone that didn't know her well, that last comment would sound like an insult. At this point, I knew Jessica enough to be able to tell when she was trying to be mean and when she accidentally came off as such. I'd only known Jess for a few months, but the girl was fairly straightforward to understand. I didn't think she knew about Eric or Tyler asking me either, and I wasn't about to tell her.

"No, this family thing is a pretty big deal." I left out the part about how Edward was not only invited to my family event, but actually agreed to go. "I wouldn't mind helping you pick out dresses, though. I actually need to get one too."

That sparked interest from Jess. "Like a formal dress? For your family thing? Exactly what sort of thing is it?"

I shook my head, avoiding her questions as Mr. Varner began the lesson.

It didn't stop her from trying to pry information out of me for the rest of the class or throughout Spanish, though. By the time we met up with Angela and made our way to the cafeteria, I was ready to find any excuse to get away from the curly-haired girl.

Luckily, I didn't need to.

As the three of us exited the lunch line with our food, Jessica brought a topic that I actually cared about.

"Huh. Edward Cullen is staring at you again, Emme," she told me.

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes landing on the Cullen table. There were only four people sitting there, and Edward was not one of them.

"Wonder why he's sitting alone today…" Jess wondered aloud.

I looked over the cafeteria again. To my surprise, she was right. Edward was sitting a few tables away from his siblings. He was alone, and he was looking right at me. A thrill shot through me. This was different; I wondered what it meant.

The second we made eye contact, he flashed a dazzling smile my way. Edward gestured for me to join him.

"Does he mean _you_?" Jess breathed, disbelieving.

I was so taken aback at this turn of events that I wasn't even offended.

Angela laughed from beside me. "Aren't you going to see what he wants?"

I mentally shook myself. "Um… yeah. I'll catch up with you guys later." I said it, but I highly doubted it. If Edward wanted me to sit with him for lunch, I most certainly wouldn't be passing the opportunity up.

I was acutely aware of the eyes on me as I made my way across the cafeteria to join Edward at his table. This was obviously something he had never done before. I made extra sure to avoid the gazes of his siblings as I walked by them. I could feel the disapproval and outrage without having to see it for myself.

"This is new," I stated, setting my tray down and taking the seat across from him.

He shrugged. "Quite frankly, it was getting a bit exhausting. Trying to stay away from you, I mean."

I hummed in agreement. "I was going to give you until the end of the week," I told him honestly.

I laughed. His laugh was beautiful and infectious. "And then what?"

"I hadn't decided yet. But it was just as exhausting for me, you know."

He fixed me with a piercing stare. "That's not normal."

It was my turn to laugh this time. "Edward, nothing about this has been normal for either of us."

Edward grinned at me again.

"Does this mean we can be friends now?" I asked after he didn't reply.

He thought for a moment. His answer was hesitant like he wasn't sure if he should be saying it or not. "I suppose so."

"Good. Now that that's settled, I'd like to ask you a question."

Edward gave me a wary look like he knew what I was going to say.

I rolled my eyes. It had become something of a habit around him. "I'm not going to ask about what you are. I realize that it's a family secret. I'm sure you'd share with me if you could. But—and I'm telling you this out of the kindness of my heart so that you're prepared—I'm determined to solve the mystery."

Normally when I brought up this topic, he immediately tried to be coy and change the subject or divert attention away from him. This time, however, he just quirked an eyebrow. "You have a mystery too." Edward's tone was almost accusatory.

"I know. The difference is that I fully intend on explaining everything to you."

"You do?" He was obviously hadn't been expecting that.

"Of course. Some new information has come to light, and while I'm not quite comfortable sharing _that_ with you yet, it's put some things into perspective for me. Turns out I'm not breaking as many rules as I thought I was."

Edward snorted. "I wish I could say the same."

I gave him a small smile. "I know. My aunts understand. Your family doesn't. But I have a feeling they'll come around eventually." I finally looked at the Cullens sitting at the table across the room from us.

Rosalie was glaring at me; that wasn't exactly groundbreaking. Jasper and Emmett were ignoring us, even though now I knew they could probably all hear me from such a far distance. Emmett glanced at me briefly but immediately looked away after seeing I was looking back at him. But Alice was beaming at me.

I made sure to smile back. I had tried not to interact with her because of the visions, but now that I could actually control them, I could look at her without the fear of triggering one. She seemed the friendliest of the group, and she seemed excited.

Edward was looking at his sister too, a thoughtful expression on his pale face.

"I think that when I explain things to you, they'll realize they have nothing to fear from me. I've already kept your secret, Edward, despite not knowing exactly what it is. You can trust me—all of you can."

His eyes fell back onto me. They were an amber color today. "When will that be?" he asked.

"I don't know exactly… really soon, I think. It wasn't clear," I answered honestly. I could tell the vision was soon, but I wasn't sure exactly when it would happen.

"That isn't exactly helpful," he replied, annoyed.

"You're impatient," I noted. "Good things come to those who wait."

He groaned. "You sound like Alice."

I looked at the girl across the room again. The small girl was openly laughing now; even Jasper had the smallest of smirks on his face. When Alice looked at me again, I grinned. This seemed to make her even happier than she looked before. It was infectious.

"Have you ever thought that perhaps I'm not deserving of good things?"

I turned back at Edward. He was completely serious. "What do you mean?"

"You seem to have it in your head that I'm the good guy in all this. But what if I'm not? What if I'm the bad guy?"

I was speechless. He was utterly ridiculous. I couldn't even pretend to hold back my laughter.

This didn't seem to make him feel any better. His brow furrowed in frustration.

"Really, Edward? Everyone has done bad things in their lives. I'm sure you're no different. I'm certainly not. That doesn't immediately make you a bad guy."

"You don't know that."

"I know a lot of things I'm not supposed to, Edward. I could know everything I wanted about you _and _your family if I wanted. I haven't because I respect you and your right to privacy. But I still have my intuition, and I can say with complete confidence that it has always been right."

Edward looked at me skeptically, to say the least.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"I didn't even get to ask my original question," I sighed, moving to get up and throw my tray away. It was dangerous to talk to him one on one like this. When we were together, time was nonexistent.

"I'll get it," Edward offered, taking the tray gently from my hands.

Almost everyone had left the cafeteria by this point, but Edward and I were still frozen, unwilling to leave.

"We're going to be late," I murmured.

Edward only shrugged. "I'm not going."

This time I was the one that was confused. "What do you mean you're not going?"

"It's healthy to skip every once in a while." The look on his face was patronizing, almost like he dared me to follow his lead.

"Oh, is it? What do you know that I don't?" I demanded.

His expression changed once again; he stared at me as if he were searching for something. "You don't know how frustrating it is to not be able to read you."

"You're one to talk," I scoffed. "Imagine being able to read someone and actively having to try not to just because you're trying to be polite and not step on any toes. Imagine your efforts not being appreciated in the least. Imagine being accosted with cryptic remarks and bizarre mood swings and, despite all that, still trying to do the right thing. Imagine how frustrating _that_ would be."

Edward stared at me, but I gained nothing from his features. "You've got a bit of a temper, haven't you?" he finally wondered aloud.

I glared at him. "I'm going to class."

I turned on my heel, leaving a laughing Edward behind me.

* * *

I managed to walk into the Biology room right as the tardy bell was ringing.

I immediately regretted my decision to not join Edward in skipping class when I saw what Mr. Banner was distributing to each table.

Today, my classmates would be testing their blood types—a process that involved actively bleeding.

I sat there, panicking, trying to figure out what to do. It was hard enough for me to be around one person's blood, let alone twenty. How could I not have seen this coming?

I knew exactly why, of course. I had been distracted by the news that Edward Cullen was quite possibly my soulmate. I had been distracted by just him existing in general, actually. But this time it was a distraction that I could not afford. I had to get out before the lesson began and it was too late.

I raised my hand, trying my best to look pathetic. I _would_ get out of this classroom.

The first few students pricked their fingers, and the effect was immediate. My body surged with energy. My skin began to tingle. I was positive I didn't look as pathetic as I wanted. I'm sure I looked better than normal, actually. I was probably basically glowing.

"Yes, Emme?"

"I think… Is it alright if I left? I don't do well around blood." I closed my eyes, hoping to add to the effect. I wanted him to let me go on his own, but I would make him if I had to. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

More of my classmates drew blood from themselves. The effect was dizzying. I began to feel myself sway. It was too entirely too hot in here.

"Perhaps that's for the best," he agreed, eyeing my newfound inability to sit up straight.

"I'll take her to the nurse," Mike volunteered from behind me.

"I'll be fine," I insisted, getting up immediately, trying to wave him off. Having someone with me was the last thing that I needed right now.

"Thank you, Mike. Make sure she gets there all right." Mr. Banner's tone was concerned. My attempt at looking pathetic was working too well, it would seem.

I started out of the class as fast as I could; Mike managed to stay by my side. My heart was racing so quickly, it felt like I was having some sort of anxiety attack, but I knew better than that. I hoped that Mike wouldn't try to touch me, especially since he had already pricked his finger. I could feel it. I focused on steadying myself, trying to get away from the Biology room as quickly as possible. The lights in the building began to flicker like they had in the hospital.

The second I made it outside I felt much better; that didn't stop the energy surging through me though. I had waited too long. I had been around too much. And Mike was still next to me. I stumbled.

Mike reached out and grabbed my arm in an attempt to steady me.

I was hit with another surge of adrenaline. "Don't touch me, please," I managed to grit out. I wrenched myself out of his grip and sat down on the damp concrete, trying to get a hold of myself. I would have to let out this extra energy soon, and I wanted nothing more for Mike to leave before I accidentally did something that could hurt him. I was afraid to make him leave for fear I would use too much of my power on him.

"Emme?"

This voice wasn't Mike's. It was a different one—a smooth, musical tenor—and I recognized it immediately. I groaned. His timing couldn't be worse. Now I had two people to worry about.

"Emme, are you okay?" Edward was worried.

"What's wrong with her?" Mike asked, panicked. "She said she didn't like blood in class, but we left before she could even prick her finger." He reached out to touch my arm in what I'm sure was supposed to be a comforting gesture. It was the hand that had been pricked.

"No!" I gasped, scrambling back, trying to get out of his reach. But it was too late.

His hand made contact with the skin of my forearm. It was a rush. My entire body hummed, and then my magic lashed out, desperate to be used. Mike instantly fell backward, sprawled across the concrete. He didn't move.

Edward, who was also crouching in front of me, immediately stood up. His actions were quick—quicker than I could follow. He blinked a few times, staggering. His smooth hand reached out and grabbed a metal pole next to him to help steady himself; his movements were fast. His grip left indentations in the metal. Edward didn't fall like Mike. He wasn't unconscious either. His eyes were unfocused and glazed over.

The humming had stopped. I was mostly back to normal.

"Edward?" I whispered.

"Give me a moment." His voice cracked. It was rougher than I was accustomed to. It wasn't normal. His actions weren't normal. I couldn't fault him for it, though, because neither were mine.

I began to panic. I had stunned him; I had stunned them both.

I didn't know what to do.

I crawled over Mike to make sure he was simply unconscious and not something worse. As soon as I neared him, I noticed that he was breathing normally. After a brief glance into his mind, I knew he was fine.

"We should get him to the nurse's office," Edward said, moving to Mike's other side.

I could only nod.

"Are you okay to walk?" he asked me. He eyed me over, making sure there wasn't anything outwardly wrong with me.

My eyes ran over him as well. "Don't worry about me. Are_ you_ okay to walk?"

Edward rolled his eyes, good humor returning quickly. I must not have hit him as much as I had Mike. Edward pulled Mike off the ground, slinging the unconscious boy's arm around his shoulders. He wrapped his arm around Mike, completely lifting him off the ground. He didn't even look like he was struggling with the weight. My eyes noted the indentions in the metal once again. I hadn't imagined it.

We made our way quickly across the school grounds. No one else was outside, thankfully. When we walked into the office, Mrs. Cope clearly wasn't expecting to see an unconscious student hanging off of Edward Cullen.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed, jumping out of her seat.

"He fainted in Biology." Edward's lie was fast, even, and confident.

I checked her thoughts. Mrs. Cope believed him without a second thought. "There's always one," she chuckled. The secretary hurried out from behind her desk and moved to open the door to the nurse's office.

Edward diligently placed Mike on the one sad-looking cot in the corner of the small room.

The nurse, Mrs. Hammond, immediately went to him. "He was originally helping me; the sight of blood makes me sick. But he passed out on the way here."

After seeing to Mike, Mrs. Hammond turned to me. "How are you feeling, dear?" she asked. "You look a little pale."

It was probably because I just knocked a boy unconscious, but I wasn't going to tell her that. "I'm fine."

She nodded. "You can go sit in the lobby until you feel better since there's not much room in here. And Edward, you can return to class."

Edward didn't miss a beat. "I'm supposed to wait here with her."

The nurse didn't even question it. I looked at Edward, curious. How did he do that so well?

We both went back to the front office.

For the first time, I didn't really want to talk with Edward. I knew he had questions, but I was ashamed that I couldn't control myself and had lashed out. I could have seriously hurt him. The thought sent a feeling of absolute dread through me.

"Go sit down and look miserable," he whispered to me.

It wasn't that hard to do. I didn't even have to act.

"Mrs. Cope," Edward began in an incredibly persuasive tone, "Emme has Gym next, though I don't think she's entirely up to it. Do you suppose she could get excused from class so I could take her home now?"

Mrs. Cope shook her head briefly before turning to her computer as if she was trying to clear her thoughts. She began to type something. "Of course, Edward. Do you need an excuse too?" she asked.

"No, I'm sure Mrs. Goff won't mind."

"It's all set. Feel better, Emme." The older woman offered me a small smile, but her eyes were on Edward.

He didn't even notice. He had already turned back to face me. Edward gently helped me out of the seat and out the door.

We stopped next to the parking lot. It had started raining again. I didn't try to shield myself from it. The cold water actually felt amazing against my hot skin.

"Thank you," I murmured quietly after a small silence. I managed to bring my eyes to meet his.

He was peering at me so intently that it was hard to keep eye contact.

I made a move to head towards my car, but Edward stopped me almost immediately.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Home?"

"I meant what I said. I have every intention of taking you myself, just to be on the safe side."

I laughed, disbelieving. "You're the one you should be worried about, not me."

Edward gave me a fond smile. "Come on." His attitude was unwavering. He put his hand lightly on the small of my back, giving me a small push in the direction of his sister's BMW.

A shiver shot up my spine. I ran my hand through my hair. It was soaking at this point. It was refreshing.

When I climbed into the car, it didn't take long for the sense of déjà vu hit me. So… today was the day.

Edward shut the door behind me and then quickly moved around the car to take his place in the driver's seat. He was behind the wheel, but he didn't make any move to turn the car on.

We sat, neither of us moving. I was acutely aware of the water dripping from my hair down my back.

I wanted to break the silence, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Edward seemed to be in a debate with himself about what to say. I waited for him to put his thoughts in order, already knowing what he would say when he was ready.

"Are you human?" he asked softly.

I didn't have to weigh my options this time. I knew what I was going to do, and I knew it was the right call. I felt it with every fiber of my being.

"No." My voice was low, but I knew he had heard me.

"Do it again."

"Do what, Edward?" I asked, knowing he was going to say that but still expecting a more normal response. Anyone else would have run away by now. Not Edward. He never did anything I expected him to.

"What you did earlier… I don't know what it was. I've never felt anything like that before."

I looked at him, appalled. "You're serious?"

Edward was silent, lips pressed into a line. Yes, he was quite serious.

"Edward, I'm not going to stun you on purpose. Are you insane?"

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Does it matter?" He was so frustrating. I told him I wasn't human, and he immediately asks to be mentally stunned. "The stunt I pulled was a complete accident. You should have ended up like Mike. I don't know how you didn't, but I'm not going to chance it by doing it to you again—this time on purpose. I don't care how nicely you ask."

Edward was curious again. He was about to say something when I cut him off.

"I'll show you in time, Edward. The school parking lot isn't really the place." I gave him a pointed look.

"Can you hear my thoughts?" he wondered, a mischievous look on his face.

I practically cackled at the irony. "I could if I wanted to," I replied honestly. "I've been trying to stay out of your head since you're so adamant about not telling me your secrets. But I can't help that your thoughts are reflected in your eyes."

He finally looked away, turning the car on. Edward seemed to be deep in thought—thoughts that I was entirely too tempted to look into.

I didn't have to tell him where I lived. In less than ten minutes, we were idling outside my aunt's house. I didn't have to tell Edward not to pull into the driveway either. He knew better to come onto the grounds uninvited, it would seem. I shot him a knowing smile.

Edward ran his hand through his hair with a groan. "Do I even want to know why you're looking at me like that?"

"I don't have to read your thoughts to figure you out, Edward. You might be able to fool the humans, but you can't fool me."

His dark eyes bore into me. "That's what I'm worried about."

* * *

_A/N:_

_This chapter is dedicated to reader chellekathrynnn who actually made me laugh out loud when she said: "I'm so bored during quarantine!" in a review. Because if I wasn't also trying to escape boredom, this story would definitely not be at the point that it is today. I'm usually lucky if I update monthly, and here I am updating almost daily. I honestly don't even believe it._

_Also, shout out to ShirleyMallery for reviewing basically every chapter of this. You and all the other reviewers give me LIFE. So thank you! :)_

_This one was really hard for me to write. I wasn't really feeling it cause I'm sooo eager to get to the good stuff. Hopefully you can't tell too much! I'm already working on the next update so you guys will have it soon. Until next time..._


	9. Chapter 8: Feor

_A/N:_

_Alright everyone... this is going to be my warning for the rest of the story._

_From this point on, the plot is going to start moving away from the events of _Twilight _and getting more witchy. And with witchy stuff comes dark stuff... I'm talking ghosts and demons, I'm talking descriptions of bones and blood, I'm talking maybe killing an animal or two. I am not getting into religion. I am not going to be super graphic. It will still be mentioned, however. If you can handle TV shows like Supernatural, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Vampire Diaries, etc., then the stuff in this story won't really be anything to worry about. Just thought I'd mention it here first to give everyone a heads up!_

_As always, I will add specific triggers at the beginning of each chapter if necessary._

* * *

My aunts welcomed me in the door with an energy replenishing potion. They didn't question me about how I managed to arrive home in a different vehicle than I had left in. Instead, they asked me about my day. I don't know why I expected anything else.

"Alright then, what did you do?" Isolde asked, getting straight to the point.

I cringed. "They were testing blood types in Biology. I didn't see it coming. I left as fast as I could, but there was a kid with me—Mike—he wouldn't leave. He ended up touching me, and I stunned him."

"Come on, Emme, you know better than that," Blair chided.

"I wasn't expecting him to actually touch me," I defended. "I had it under control until then. I was trying to get rid of him so I could do something safer."

"Is he okay at least? Did you clean up after yourself?"

"Edward helped me take him to the nurse's office. We told her he passed out in Biology. I won't be able to see if he bought it until tomorrow, but I don't think he'll be any problem," I assured them. It was too late before I realized my mistake.

"Edward was there?" Isolde's tone was much more interested now.

Blair's was too, for that matter. "Did he see what happened?"

I looked away from them. "Yeah. He was there, and I think I stunned him too, just not as hard. I told him I wasn't human, but I didn't really explain anything else."

The pair of them absorbed this new information, probably having a silent conversation between themselves. I figured this might as well be a good time as any to tell them I invited Edward to next Saturday's festivities.

"Oh, and Edward's coming to Ostara." My voice was nonchalant, trying not to make a big deal of it.

But it was a big deal. People with no magic were only invited to these sorts of events on very rare occasions. By inviting them, I was basically telling my aunts that I had accepted him as my soulmate. I hadn't yet—I hardly knew the boy. But the pull between us was unlike anything I had ever felt before, and I would be foolish not to acknowledge it. The first step would be getting him to accept my magic.

"Are you sure?" they asked in unison. They didn't seem upset that I had asked Edward to attend without permission. They just seemed resigned.

I nodded. "I think it's the right call. I'm going to explain everything to him and see where it leads."

"Well," Blair began, "Make sure he knows the rules before he gets here."

"In other news, it's invocation day." Aunt Isolde quickly switched to business mode. "And we're testing you as a Feor."

"I'm sorry, what?" I was surprised. I wasn't quite sure if it was normal or not to be ranking so quickly.

"You know how to do it. Why wait?"

She had a point there. If I could pass the test, why shouldn't I take it?

Invocation included three aspects: mediumship, spiritual sensing, and necromancy. No sane witch would ever practice necromancy except maybe as a party trick. There was no need to control a corpse in this day and age. It took too much energy and was too messy.

The other two aspects, however, were much more useful. Being able to sense the spirits was something that anyone with even a drop of magic could do. I could easily step into a home and tell you if it was haunted or not and what type of spirit was doing the haunting. And I had learned that hauntings were way more common than most would think.

Mediumship was my favorite aspect and one of the most powerful tools for a witch. It involved calling, communicating with, and even invoking spirits. I could speak with any spirit I wanted to, as long as they answered my call. And if I called a demon, I could even use its energy to heighten my magical abilities even further.

I wouldn't be doing that for my test though. All I had to do was prove I could summon and hold a spirit—easy enough.

I grabbed the things I needed and began to create my circle: six stones and a large pillar candle.

"Tell us what you're doing. Don't leave anything out," Isolde said, watching me like a hawk. She was always like this for trials. I wouldn't get any help from her, so it was good that I didn't need it.

"First, you need to create a summoning circle. To make a circle, you need six stones. Each stone helps with something different. You can choose the ones you use based on your strengths and weaknesses and what you're summoning."

"It doesn't have to be anything impressive. You just have to summon something enough so that it can take form and speak to pass the trial," Blair reassured.

The thought of my father passed briefly through my mind, but I quickly decided against it. Now was probably not the best time. As much as I wanted to speak with him, I had to be sure I knew what I was doing first. Not to mention my aunts would certainly not approve.

I began to create a circle out of the six stones I had gathered. "Place your stones in a circle… the bigger the circle, the bigger the energy that can be summoned."

"But?" Isolde interrupted.

"The bigger the circle, the harder it is to control."

I began dropping my stones, choosing to make the circle about six feet in diameter. Perhaps it was a little overly ambitious for a witch that was testing, but I somehow knew I could handle it. I knew it was the right call after my aunts chose not to critique my choice.

I named each stone as I set it down. "Smoky quartz protects against negative energies. Kyanite makes it easier to contact spirits and helps bridge the space between spirits and us. Onyx aids psychic contact with those that have died. Obsidian makes it easier to contact the spirit realms. Amethyst helps with protection and absorbs negative energies. Celestite helps focus your channeling and eases the sending of messages between realms."

Finally, I placed the large, white pillar candle in the center of the circle. "The flame from the candle will become the weakest point between the spirit realm and ours. If called correctly, the flame will grow, allowing a spirit to pass through to our world and to take shape from its smoke."

"Perfect," my aunts acknowledged in unison.

"What do you need if you're calling someone specific?" Blair quizzed.

I answered immediately. "You'd need a memento—preferably something from their person. It's why people used to keep locks of hair from their dead loved ones. At the very least, you'd need something with enough emotional value for a spirit to want to return to this realm."

Isolde was ready with another question almost immediately. "What is the difference between a spirit, a ghost, and a demon?"

"A spirit is an encompassing term for a soul that has moved on to the other realms. A ghost is the spirit of a human. A demon is the spirit of a creature with magic… like a witch."

"Tell us more about the difference between ghosts and demons."

"A ghost is a relatively simple entity. It's the soul of the human come back to this world. They don't tend to create much trouble, although it's entirely dependent on what the human was like. Usually, the worst you'll get from a ghost is a haunting. A demon is a little more complicated. Magical souls know can navigate between realms better than ghosts can—they're harder to control, especially when they have a purpose. Most demons are harmless like ghosts, but if the witch that died had a dark soul or something they need to do, they can be prone to possession and other mischiefs. You can tell the difference between them by their eyes. Ghosts will have black eyes, while a demon's eyes will be white."

The twins nodded.

"What happens if the circle is broken?"

"If a witch isn't strong enough to hold the spirit inside the circle and it breaks, the spirit will escape. It's a lot harder to banish a spirit back to the other realms outside of a circle than it is inside of one. Plus that's how hauntings happen."

My aunts took their place behind me, out of the way, yet close enough to be able to step in if something went wrong.

"If I have to live in a haunted house, Emerine, so help me I will ground you from Ostara," Isolde threatened.

"I suppose I'll have to rethink your birthday present, then," I muttered halfheartedly, too focused to actually look at her.

She only snorted in response.

"Go ahead," Blair encouraged.

I double-checked my stone placements. I made sure I was just out of the circle but as close to it as I could be. The closest witch was always the one in control. Then, I spoke the words.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco."

The lights in the room went out instantly. It was unnaturally still and silent. I could hear my aunts breathing behind me. I felt them watching closely, though they didn't move a muscle.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco," I repeated, more confident this time. I had to be. If I wasn't, the circle would break. Despite my joking, I didn't much fancy living in a haunted house either.

The energy in the room was electric now; I heard it humming all around me. The wick on the candle burst into flame. It was definitely working.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco!" My voice was loud and strong.

The flame on the candle grew larger and large, the smoke billowing and beginning to take shape within the circle. It was time to finish the incantation.

"Peto te apparere."

A breeze flowed through the room around the circle gently shaping the smoke that had risen from the candle into a humanoid form. The smoke was so thick, it looked almost opaque.

I pushed a strand of my hair behind my ears, watching intently. I didn't really know who to expect. I wasn't calling anyone in particular, so anyone could appear. A lot of witches only called randomly like this when they were bored; they would summon a spirit that needed closure and then help them find it so they could rest easier. I wasn't exactly doing that, though. A jolt of excitement shot through me. I couldn't tell if it was from the fact that my summoning had worked or if it was at the prospect of another mystery—one that I wouldn't feel bad trying to solve.

I pushed Edward out of my thoughts. Now was absolutely not the time for pining.

A man had appeared in the smoke within the circle. He was larger than I expected, tall with broad, muscular shoulders. The man seemed to be older—middle-aged maybe—yet still much more attractive than you would expect someone his age to be. His head was shaved, and his face was tense with concern.

What concerned me, however, were his eyes. They were white; the man was a demon.

"Did you summon me, child?" he asked, voice gravelly and deep. The spirit had a thick accent although I couldn't quite place it. It seemed to be a mix of things.

"I did," I replied with a nod.

The stones of the circle shook with the sheer energy of him, but I threw my hand out and held them in place with telekinesis.

"I cannot thank you enough for that. I have been trying to cross for years."

"Why?" I was curious. Most spirits were fine with staying in the other realms. Not many actively tried to return. Even the ones that weren't at rest waited until they were called.

"I need to warn her," the man said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His words were rushed now. Whatever he was going on about, it was important to him.

"Warn who?"

"She was like a daughter to me. I died to save her, and she is in danger once again."

The stones were getting harder to hold now. Demons took much more magic than simple ghosts did. I hadn't expected to summon one on my first try by myself. I tried to ignore the fatigue that was beginning to grow in me.

"Tell me who it is, and I'll help the best I can," I told him. "Hurry. I can't hold you much longer."

The man smiled at me, relieved. I was glad I had chosen stones that would negate any negativity; I couldn't imagine summoning a malevolent demon and trying to hold it.

"Find Mary Brandon. Tell her he will find her again. She needs to be ready."

And then the flame went out. The smoke dissipated, and the demon was gone. The lights turned back on. It was as if the summoning had never happened. The normal sounds of the outdoors flooded the house, but I wasn't listening to any of it. I was listening to the demons words echo through my thoughts.

I jumped when Aunt Isolde spoke, breaking the silence. "Of course you'd manage to summon a demon for your trial."

When I turned around to face them, they were both grinning.

"Congratulations, Emerine. You're a Feor."

* * *

The next morning, I arrived at school in the best of moods.

It was probably from passing my trial the previous day, but it also helped that the sun was shining. The rain was my favorite type of weather, but even I had to admit the sun was nice every once in a while. I hoped that had nothing to do with my mood. I didn't feel drained at all, so I assumed the weather was naturally occurring this time. It was surprising for one of the rainiest places in the United States. The sun made everything so much greener and _alive_. I could feel it flow through me.

I found my friends hanging out in the parking lot. Before I moved towards them, I made sure to quickly scan Mike's mind; I had to make sure the incident from yesterday was forgotten. It wasn't, but he seemed to believe the story of him passing out on the way to help me. I had been lucky this time.

"Good morning!" I chirped as I approached them.

"Someone's in a good mood today," Jess pointed out.

I shrugged. "I suppose. It can happen to the worst of us, Jess." I hope she would recognize that I was teasing her.

She did. Jessica laughed at me and rolled her eyes.

"I don't say this often, but I almost wish we didn't have to go to classes today. It's too nice to be cooped up," Angela sighed, eyeing the blue skies overhead.

"Makes me jealous of the Cullens…" Eric added.

Of course, that comment made me perk up with interest. "What does the weather have to do with the Cullens?" I asked.

Jess, as always, was the first to dish the details. "Oh, Dr. Cullen and his wife always pull their kids out of school when it's nice out. They're really outdoorsy I guess."

And just like that, my mood darkened ever so slightly. I wouldn't exactly admit to myself that I was looking forward to seeing Edward today. But I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge it somewhat. Still, I was determined not to let that ruin my day. I was a Feor now, and the sun was shining. Plus I had a different mystery to distract me if I needed it: the mystery of Mary Brandon.

"We should go to the beach tomorrow," Mike suggested. "It's supposed to be sunny again."

Jess immediately squealed. "Yes! That sounds awesome, Mike. I am so in."

Mike, encouraged by Jessica's response, looked expectantly at the rest of us. "Anyone else?"

Eric and Angela both agreed enthusiastically. Then, eyes fell on me.

"I'd have to ask my aunts," I told them. "But I think I should be okay to go." A beach trip seemed like a normal thing for a teenage girl to do. But more than that, it actually sounded like fun.

"How about everyone meets at my dad's store at like noon? We'll make a day of it and take stuff for a bonfire."

The bell rang before any more plans could be made. With the promise of finalizing them at lunch, we all headed to class.

* * *

The next morning, I rolled into Newton's Olympic Outfitters a couple of minutes after noon.

It had taken a little bit of convincing for my aunts to agree to let me go for the day. I had to remind them that I had passed my precognition trial already and should have Saturdays free now anyways. Plus, I deserved it after passing my Feor trial. They agreed on the condition that I had to take advantage of the day by having at least one premonition.

My friends were all loitering in the parking lot, chatting while Mike and Tyler finished loading up their respective cars. Mike's Suburban was filled to the brim with coolers and other supplies. Tyler's now repaired minivan was less full so more people could fit in it. I was actually surprised to see that they had managed to fix it after I had set it on fire. The scorch marks on the hood were still visible, though.

"Emme! You made it!"

Mike had noticed me immediately and stopped loading his car as I walked up to the group.

"Sorry I'm a little late."

He brushed off my apology. "It's fine. We're still waiting on a few others. Do you want to ride with me? You can have shotgun."

I hesitated. I thought he was over this crush after he agreed to go to the dance with Jess, but clearly not. "Um… sure." I didn't know how to say no without crushing his soul.

After Ashley Dowling, Austin Marks, and Lee Stephens showed up, we were ready to go. Everyone piled into one vehicle or the other. I ended up sitting shotgun next to Mike as he requested, much to Jessica's dismay. I made sure to avoid talking to him as much as was polite on the ride there. I split my attention between Jessica and Angela behind me and the scenery outside. It wasn't that hard to be distracted by the views. I had always been fascinated by nature, and the drive to the beach was beautiful.

It was about a fifteen minute drive, but when we arrived at the beach—First Beach, I think—it was totally worth it.

I had been to a couple of beaches in Massachusetts, but this one was different. It had dark sand and was scattered with rocks and driftwood. Islands of rock of various sizes littered the coast next to the cliffs and forest that surrounded the beach. The effect was beautiful.

I eagerly helped unload Mike's suburban. I was eager to get out and explore.

"You know," began Angela, "I haven't seen you this excited since you moved here." The girl was exceptionally observant.

"I really like nature, especially forests and water. This place has both," I explained.

She smiled at me. It was obvious she thought the same way as I did. "I'll take you to go see the tide pools when we get set up. I bet you'll love them."

And I did love them. There was something magical about the tiny pools that held entire worlds within them.

When we finally returned to the beach, it was late in the afternoon. The other kids had set up a driftwood fire, which I found even more magical than the tide pools. The wood was burning in different colors—blues and lavenders—in addition to the normal reds and oranges. I was mesmerized; I couldn't stop looking at it. I didn't even notice when our group was joined by a bunch of kids that I didn't recognize until one of them came up to talk to me.

"Pretty cool, huh?" he said, gesturing to the fire.

I hummed my assent without really acknowledging him.

He didn't take offense, he only chuckled. "It's the reaction of the salt that's been absorbed into the wood. It makes the fire change colors, but it makes the smoke more toxic."

I finally managed to tear my eyes away from the fire. The person that was speaking with me looked to be younger than I was. He was taller than me, though, with russet skin and long, shiny black hair. He was a little bit lanky and boyish, but he had an aura that was magnetic.

I couldn't help but smile at him. "Thanks for the heads up."

"I'm Jacob Black," he told me, holding out his hand.

I shook it. "Emme Wildes."

"I haven't seen you around here before," Jacob noted.

"I just moved here in January."

"No wonder. Not that I'm on a first-name basis with everyone from Forks, but most of them are easy to recognize by now. They kind of stand out around here."

"Is that a race joke?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Jacob looked horrified. "What? No! I just meant—"

I laughed at him. "I get it. I'm only teasing you, don't worry."

He looked incredibly relieved, and I was glad he didn't take offense to me messing with him. I'd been told my sense of humor was an acquired taste.

"This beach is a part of the Reservation right?" I wondered aloud.

"Yeah. La Push is even smaller than Forks." Jacob nodded. "That's why I said it stands out when people from Forks visit," he explained hastily, shooting me a glare that was clearly just for show.

When we made eye contact, I felt myself grow tense. There was something about this boy that was out of the norm for humans. It was a different feeling than when I had made eye contact with the Cullens. I didn't have any magical mishaps, but something inexplicable was still present.

And maybe Jacob felt it too because the look he was giving me quickly turned from playful to curious.

Before I could speak up, Lauren Mallory's voice rang out from the other side of the bonfire. "It's a shame no one invited them, right Emme?" Her question was innocent enough, but her tone was malicious.

"Who?" I already knew who she was talking about though.

"The Cullens," Lauren answered with a shrug.

We were interrupted by another boy from the reservation before I could even think of a reply. He looked to be a year or two older than me, but nowhere near as friendly as Jacob did. "The Cullens don't come here." His attitude was completely serious; there was nothing in his expression to suggest he was joking. The statement effectively ended the conversation.

For the first time, I didn't second guess myself or try to talk myself out of what I was about to do. As I stared at him from across the fire, I looked into his mind. It was such a weird thing for him to say, I knew I would be questioning it for days if I didn't figure it out now.

_She doesn't know how dangerous they are. They are our enemies. I would rather die than let one onto our land—_

His thoughts were interrupted by a headache slowly forming between his brows. I felt it too until I retreated from his mind. It was similar to what had happened to me when my aunts had invaded my mind. There was only one explanation for it.

The boy had magic.

And Jacob probably did too. That must be what the unexplained feeling from earlier was. Neither one of them knew it if Sam's thoughts were anything to go by, but something supernatural was definitely there.

An awkward silence had fallen around the fire. Eventually, some of the kids from school and a couple of the kids from the reservation left to play soccer before it got too dark. The boy that had spoken left without talking to anyone else.

"Sam's always weird like that," Jacob told me, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't take anything he says to heart."

"Wasn't planning on it," I told him seriously. Maybe the Cullens seemed dangerous, but I knew better. Maybe they had the potential to be, but they weren't. And they certainly weren't our 'enemies.' "But what did he mean by that?" Maybe Jacob and Sam had the answers I was looking for. They obviously knew the Cullens were different than everyone else.

Jacob sighed. "Want to go on a walk?" He was avoiding my question.

"Only if you tell me what he meant," I countered.

"Sure, sure."

We walked away from the soccer players, back towards the tide pools. As soon as we were out of earshot from the rest of the group, Jacob began to tell me what he knew.

"So the Quileute people have this legend. Apparently we're descended from wolves."

"Wolves?"

"It's a long story that is technically not supposed to be told to _outsiders_," he smiled, giving me a pointed look. "But our ancestors could transform into wolves. They're our brothers still—it's against tribal law to kill them, actually. And the natural enemy of the wolves were the cold ones." Jacob said 'cold ones' like he was trying to scare a child.

I couldn't help but snicker at his retelling.

"The stories of the cold ones go way back, but there are some much more recent. Apparently my great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that keeps them off our land." Jacob rolled his eyes. It was clear that he thought all of this was just a tale fabricated to scare children.

I knew better, though. Something in the back of my mind was nagging me… something important.

Jacob looked sideways at me to make sure I was still interested (I clearly was) before continuing. "My great-grandfather was a tribal elder, like my father. When he was alive, a pack of them came to our territory. They claimed to be different—they weren't supposed to be a danger to the tribe. My great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they stayed off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." He stopped to give me a wink that clearly conveyed he was joking.

Despite the intensity of the legend, I had to smile at him. I had a good feeling about Jacob. I genuinely liked him.

So according to the legends, the Quileute tribe _did_ have magic. It might have been more potent before, but they still had it today too; I figured that much out for myself. They utilized a type of spell casting—transmutation— that allowed them to shape-shift into wolves, and they used this power to fight the dangerous 'cold ones.' I still didn't know exactly what the cold ones were though.

"So these cold ones… what exactly are they?" I tried to keep my tone light so it didn't seem like an interrogation.

"Blood drinkers."

The simple answer was enough to send a chill down my spine. Two words and everything hit me all at once.

The Cullens were all very different from one another. They had different features and hair colors, even though some of them were supposed to be related. Yet they were also the same. They were all pale—paler than me and I hadn't met many people with skin lighter than my fair alabaster shade. Their eyes were all varying shades of gold. Edward's even changed on a spectrum between gold and black. A human's eyes didn't just change colors like that. None of them showed up to school when it had been sunny; according to Jess, they never showed up on days when the weather was nice. And all of that wasn't even mentioning how Edward could move faster than I could see, how he could stop a car with his bare hands, or how the lot of them could hear from far distances. Every detail—it all made sense.

"Vampires…" I murmured.

I felt so stupid. I _knew_ magic was out there. I was a witch. For someone who was supposed to be able to see more than others, I had been walking around with my eyes tightly closed. How could I have been so blind? I had insisted on trying not to upset Edward by prying that I had my head firmly turned in the other direction. I was so focused on learning about my own kind that I hadn't even bothered to ask about what else might be out there.

"Exactly," Jacob encouraged. "These ones weren't supposed to be dangerous. They said they were civilized."

I filled in the blank for myself. "Meaning they didn't feed on humans?"

"Right again." At least Jacob seemed to be having fun with this conversation.

He wasn't going through a mental breakdown.

"So these cold ones…" I prompted. Jacob's great-grandfather had made a truce with the Cullens.

I was right.

"They were the Cullens."

* * *

_A/N:_

_I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter! I'm so excited to finally post it... it's definitely a hard turn from the source material. It took me ages to sort out all the magical details, and by the time I was done, there was so much to include that it ended up being a way longer chapter than usual._

_Please remember I am writing this chapter to chapter! I have a general idea of what I'm doing and where I'm going, but there are probably (definitely) some continuity mistakes, grammatical errors, and whatever else. Please feel free to point out all my flaws in the reviews so I can attempt to fix them ;) And please let me know what you think!_

_Until next time!_


	10. Chapter 9: Port Angeles

_A/N:_

_Trigger warning: attempted assault and a brief allusion to sexual assault are present in this chapter._

* * *

I stormed into my aunts' home in a flurry of anxiety and aggravation. It had taken every ounce of self-control I had to make it back from First Beach without having some sort of supernatural panic attack, but I had somehow managed it.

"Isolde! Blair!" I yelled. I was done letting them be cryptic. There was information I needed, and I was going to get it from them the easy way or the hard way. I didn't particularly want to take on my aunts, though, so I hoped it was the easy way.

"What is it?" I heard them call from the parlor.

I all but ran into the richly decorated sitting room.

"What did you see in your vision?" Blair asked sounding somewhat worried.

I was caught momentarily off guard by her question. "What vision?"

Isolde looked at me pointedly. "We said you could go to the beach if you promised to try to have a vision. Why else would you be so obviously flustered?"

"I didn't have a vision."

It was their turn to look confused.

I didn't want to wait any longer. It was best just to have out with it. "There are other things out there, aren't there? Other creatures with magic?"

The look on their faces told me right away what I wanted to know.

"A boy at the beach had magic. I felt it. He told me his tribe was descended from wolves and that the Cullens were vampires. Is it true?"

"Well… we have heard rumors about the Quileute magic," Blair admitted somewhat guiltily.

"We never had any reason to believe they were true until now," Isolde finished. "It isn't like we've been actively researching them."

"And the Cullens…" I prompted.

"We've never actually met them, Emerine. We only saw the children briefly, as we told you. But it makes sense based on what you've told us. We had… a feeling."

"Great. And here I was thinking that I moved away from the magic to a normal, small-town when in reality I'm living in some sort of devil's playground! Our 'feelings' are always right. Why didn't you tell me?" I hissed at them, furious.

"We were going to," Aunt Blair began slowly. She was choosing her words carefully. "We were just waiting for the right time."

For some reason, this answer annoyed me even more. "I'm supposed to be learning about the magical world. You're both supposed to be teaching me this sort of thing! There has to be a better reason than that."

"Of course there is," Isolde snapped. "We had to make sure your magic wasn't so volatile before we could explain anything to you."

The wind outside took the opportunity to push angrily against the window panes. I realized, yet again, that I wasn't controlling myself as I ought to be. I had let my emotions begin to best me. I took a deep breath, calming myself. I didn't want to admit to Isolde and Blair, but the exhaustion that came from accidental magic use definitely helped. My aunts would never be so stupid as to tell me something that would upset me while I was already unstable.

After a moment, I was ready to have a normal conversation. Well, as normal as conversations could be when the topic was supernatural creatures of the world. "Tell me what you know."

Blair chewed on her lip. She was clearly nervous about whatever information they were about to give me. Like usual, she allowed Isolde to take the lead.

"Your father was killed by a vampire."

I sucked in a breath, stunned. I had always known my father hadn't just died. He was killed. But that was the extent of my knowledge.

"We told you about the vision we shared when you were born. You know by now that most visions change; they're subjective to the actions of others. Very few are so clear, and when they are it's obvious it is fate's will. When the High Council came to meet you, they had the same vision we did. They were… not as accepting as we were." It was clear that 'not as accepting' was an understatement. "You know that the High Council forbids non-witches—outsiders—into the lives of those with magic. They didn't want one of their own—someone who they thought was going to be powerful and important to their vision of the future—aligning themselves with anyone or anything else. Especially vampires."

I couldn't speak. I could barely comprehend the words that Isolde was speaking. Her tone was even, but I could feel her emotions as she continued.

"Your father openly refused to keep the vision from you. He told the Council that he would let you live your own life. He didn't want you to have to try and fight fate's will. Cadoc argued that many others had tried and it never ended well for them. If you wanted to try to fight it, you could. But he was adamant that the right to choose was entirely yours. He was found dead within the week. Your mother became increasingly unstable. She couldn't control herself, especially around you. Sara begged us to bind her powers. Eventually, we finally agreed when we saw what our brother's death had done to her. Her emotions began to control her. Her magic lashed out until she spent more time unconscious than awake. All three of us agreed it was for the best. She never used magic around you because she couldn't."

Mom had never told me that before. I had always just thought that she'd turned her back on magic. I guess she did in a way, but this was different. It explained how she managed to not have magical outbursts while I did.

"Of course, we wouldn't let Cadoc's death go unanswered," Blair remarked.

Aunt Isolde agreed with a sharp nod. "We threw everything we had into looking for Cadoc's killer. It was a dark time for us. We were obsessive. It led us to the Volturi—the leader of the vampire kind. We found out that the High Council had made a deal with them. They convinced the vampires that it was in their best interest to kill Cadoc because if they didn't then you would somehow destroy them. They thought that your father's death would make you hate vampire kind. They thought if you hated them, you wouldn't ruin the status quo by combining our two worlds.

"The High Council didn't realize that your mother would turn her back on magic because of it. They didn't know that you wouldn't even find out about other creatures until much later… until after you had already found your soulmate."

My father's death had been because of me. The realization hit me like a brick. I felt dazed. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

The High Council used me as a pawn because they were scared of uncertainty. As a child, I had always looked up to them; they were so knowledgeable and worldly. But this—it was pathetically small of them.

I thought back to all the times the witches and warlocks on the Council visited me, laughed with me, gave me gifts—they didn't do it because they were kind. They did it because they wanted something from me. They wanted me to become one of them and live a life that they thought I should.

And my father had died because he refused to let anyone else decide my life for me.

"We confronted the High Council," Isolde remarked as if it was the simplest thing in the world. For her and Blair, the choice to do so probably was. I hadn't been around to see it, but I had always grown up hearing how close the Wildes siblings were.

Blair had a small frown on her face, staring into the fireplace. She was undoubtedly remembering the confrontation. "They didn't even deny what they had done."

Isolde scoffed, hatred flashing in her eyes, though not directed at anyone in this room. "We demanded justice for our brother. They refused."

"Is that why you left?" I wondered. My voice was small. It cracked when I spoke, thick with feeling.

The twins nodded together. "We knew this place would eventually be important to us and to you. It was where our future was. So we came here and waited for you to join us."

It was a lot to take in, to say the least.

When I was growing up in Salem, no one ever wanted to tell me anything about my father. All I knew was that the Wildes were all-powerful users of magic. He was a ranking Septe. He had dark brown hair, like me. He was a good man. I had always known there was more to him than just empty facts.

The narrative my aunts had given me told a story of a man who didn't just exist and then die. Cadoc Wildes was a Septe that used his powers to give his daughter a better life—a life where she didn't have to fight fate just because some stuck up magicians were afraid of what would happen if she didn't. He stood up for me until the moment he was cut down.

I could make my own choices. And thanks to my father, I would be able to.

* * *

Jess called me the next morning, asking if I'd like to go dress shopping with her and Angela in Port Angeles that afternoon.

I thought about saying no at first. Then, I realized that I had been walking around the house in some sort of hypnotized state just thinking for the better part of the last ten hours. I hadn't slept a wink. I was living off of energy potions at the moment. I kept circling between Edward, vampires, and my father. I needed some sort of distraction from it all before my mind imploded.

"I'm going to Port Angeles with Jess and Angela," I told my aunts.

The pair of them had given me space I desperately needed after last night. They didn't even hesitate when I told them my plan to leave. They were wise enough to recognize I needed a distraction, too. With a request for another pillar candle and an iolite stone from what I assumed was the only store of its kind in Port Angeles, they sent me on my way.

Jessica came to get me at about three in the afternoon. For once, I was thankful that she was so chatty. The second I got into the backseat of her car, she blurted out that Mike had asked her out to dinner on Thursday.

"So not only do I need a dress for the dance, but I also need a new top for our date. It's getting warmer out and all I seem to own are sweaters and t-shirts. I'd like something a bit nicer, you know? I don't want to wear a dress since I'll be wearing one on Saturday—I really want the dance to have the shock factor. I'll probably wear jeans on Thursday, but I want the top to make the outfit a bit nicer than something I would wear to school. That way Mike will know I put in the effort but can still be casual."

Jessica was anything but casual according to her detailed outfit plans, but Angela and I let her ramble on anyways. Thinking about clothes was infinitely easier than thinking about the supernatural.

Port Angeles was a surprisingly charming seaside town. I had only been through it once (when I had first arrived from Massachusetts), and it had been too dark to see anything. I hadn't really cared at the time either. But in the daylight, I noticed that it had the small-town vibe that Forks had without any of the inconvenience. It had enough shops and restaurants to actually be entertaining. The area down by the bay even looked like it had tourists.

We ignored that area though.

Jessica drove us to the only department store in town, though it was still within walking distance to the boardwalk.

"What do you think semi-formal means exactly?" Jess questioned.

Angela and I both shrugged in response. I certainly didn't have a better answer.

"Come on," Jessica whined. "Aren't you from Boston, Emme? Surely dances were a big deal there."

"You know I was homeschooled, Jess. I've never been to a dance." We made our way over to the Juniors section of the store, scanning the area for the clothes that were even a little bit nicer than casual.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. In that case, I can't believe your aunts won't let you come to this one."

"I honestly don't mind missing it. The only thing I have to compare them too really is what you see on TV or in movies. Dances just seem… awkward," I mused aloud.

Angela chuckled, finally finding a few racks of dresses. She began to look through them. She seemed to be amused by my wariness of high school social activities. "It kind of is. But you have to focus less on the dance part and more on the people. It's sort of nice to have a reason to get all dressed up and hang out with your friends."

Jess, on the other hand, was appalled by my confession. "You _have_ to come to prom, Emme. Non-negotiable," Jess insisted adamantly.

I shot her a small smile. When Angela put it like that, it didn't seem quite so miserable. "We'll see. That's still months away."

"Only two and a half," Jessica corrected. Leave it to her to know exactly when prom was going to be.

Jess and Angela found a few dresses and moved to the fitting room to begin trying them on. I didn't find anything that tickled my fancy. I hadn't known what I expected Port Angeles to have, but this department store definitely wouldn't have anything that suited my needs. Luckily, I had my dress from last year that I could use again.

Jess managed to narrow her options down to a floor-length strapless gown and a shorter, electric blue spaghetti strap one. I convinced her to go with the blue dress—it matched her eyes and better suited her bubbly personality.

Angela didn't have a similar decision to make. The second she tried on her pale pink dress, she fell in love with it. It certainly suited her. She looked lovely in it.

The two of them moved towards the accessory section of the store next.

"Hey, do you guys mind if I meet you at the restaurant later for dinner? My aunts asked me to pick up a couple of things for them." I needed a break from all the estrogen and now seemed like a good time as any.

The offered to go with me after they were finished, but I needed a little break. I insisted I would be ok by myself for an hour. We all agreed to meet at the little Italian place on the boardwalk in an hour.

I made my way back towards the boardwalk area of town. It wasn't that difficult to find. The more shops I walked past on the main street, the more I realized Port Angeles was sort of a tourist trap. It wasn't as bad as Salem, though; Salem was much too well known to be anything but.

I easily found the shop my aunts had mentioned… it stood out against the posh boutiques and specialty shops.

It was clearly one of those shops marketed towards new-age witches and Wiccans or whatever they were calling themselves these days. The windows were filled with crystals, dream catchers, and greenery. The aesthetic was pleasing, even if most of it was nonsensical.

I went in anyways. The store might not have been meant for those with real magic, but it had what I needed. I purchased the new pillar candle and stone for my aunts and then was on my way.

I still had another thirty minutes before I had to meet my friends, so I decided to wander a bit. I let the thoughts that had been threatening to overcome me into my mind finally since I was alone.

Right now, I couldn't do anything with the information I had learned about my father—no matter how badly I wanted to get justice for him. But I _could_ do something with the information I had learned about Edward. And if my aunts were right, if _I _was right, then my soulmate was a vampire.

I snickered at the thought. I was lucky no one could look into my thoughts without me noticing. They would have thought I was absolutely insane.

Fate had decreed that a witch and a vampire would be together.

What did that mean though? Witches, vampires, werewolves—we were all very obviously separated from each other. I was sure that Edward didn't know that I had magic or else he would have immediately known. He wouldn't have asked if I was human, either, if he had already known I wasn't. I wondered if any of his other family members knew about magic. Depending on how old they were and how well-traveled, they could have come across a witch or warlock in their lives. None of Edward's siblings knew what I was, though. I was sure of it. If any of his family did, it would have to be one or both of his parents whom I hadn't met yet. Regardless, it was a long shot, because surely they would have warned their children the moment they learned about the weird girl at school.

I sighed miserably. My arm was beginning to fall asleep from the weight of the pillar candle hanging off of it.

I had fifteen minutes until I had to meet Jess and Angela. I decided to start heading for the restaurant. Even if I was early, I wouldn't mind waiting.

At least, that's what I planned to do. Then, I realized I had no idea where I was.

I had managed to meander away from the populated and polished area of town to an area that the tourists obviously weren't meant to see. It was run down, to say the least.

"Hey there!" a voice called.

I whipped around, seeing three guys. They all looked to be in their mid-twenties and were all dressed in some variation of dirty jeans, t-shirts, and flannels. My intuition screamed at me that they were nothing but bad news. I decided to ignore their call and walked away from them as quickly as possible.

"Wait up!" one of them yelled after me.

Again, I ignored them. I knew I was heading in the right direction to get back to civilization, but I could still hear the men following behind me. That's when I noticed that there were two more of them up ahead. A sinking feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. I had been herded.

I stopped in my tracks trying to decide what to do. My body was pulsing with adrenaline; I was running on pure instinct.

I had to make sure they were really a threat first. It only took a moment in their minds to realize exactly what they had planned—and it was nothing good for me. Other girls my age had flashed thought their minds, their eyes wide and filled with fear. I even thought I recognized one from school. They had done this before.

I glanced around hurriedly. There was one van at the far end of the road, but it looked like no one was in it. For all I knew, it belonged to the men. No one was on the street. The group probably thought that was a good thing for them. They didn't realize it was a better thing for me.

Still, I didn't want to take any chances using magic out in the open. I quickly ducked into an alley on my left. It was a dead-end, but that didn't matter. If this was a test for fight or flight, I had chosen to fight. If they weren't such awful human beings, I would almost feel bad for them. I took the bag off my wrists so my arms would be free. Then, I waited.

I could hear their heavy footsteps approaching. The five of them stopped at the mouth of the alley.

"There you are," one of them smiled.

"I know what you want from me, and it's not going to happen. I'll give you a chance to apologize now," I told them. My voice was stronger than I thought it would be, though it made sense. What I had seen in their minds had angered me to the point of calm. I had no intention of letting them go after I saw their previous actions, but I'd be tempted to go easier on them if they saw the error of their ways.

I received nothing but disbelieving laughter as a reply.

I didn't blame them, really. I was petite; at my full height of five feet, four inches, I was not intimidating in the slightest. I didn't need to be though.

I heard the car engine roaring and the tires screeching before I saw the actual car. It screamed to a stop right in front of the alleyway. I recognized the vehicle immediately, but I didn't want the car or its owner to distract me. I turned my attention back to my attackers.

The men didn't know what to do with the arrival of someone else. They seemed frozen, deciding their options.

The passenger door of the shiny silver Volvo flew open. "Get in." His voice was furious.

Despite the chill that involuntarily flew down my spine, I didn't even look at him. "Not yet."

Edward was next to me faster than I could blink.

There were gasps and shouts from the men who still hadn't moved. They had still been contemplating their best course of action. It seemed that Edward's impossibly sudden appearance had spurred them into action. It seemed that their fight or flight tendency was flight.

I threw out an arm, holding them in place. It was the first time I had ever tried to hold so much at once.

"Now, Emme." Venom laced Edward's tone. He was tense and shaking; he would kill these men if I didn't stop him.

I continued holding the men in front of me before turning to Edward. I knew what I wanted to do without even thinking about it. My vision clouded over with shades of white and light grey. My voice became cold and distant. It was foreign to me, yet I recognized it as mine.

"_Don't move until I finish._"

Edward froze, eyes widening in shock.

I turned my attention back to the men.

I must have looked truly frightening because their struggles increased a tenfold. I felt my energy rapidly draining.

"_Stop struggling_."

The men stopped. I released them from my invisible hold.

"_Humans should be the last thing I should have to worry about right now. Yet, there are few creatures in this world that are eviler than the five of you. After I speak these words, you won't remember anything that has happened in the last hour. Et verba mea: adiuro te. May you never harm another living thing in your pathetic mortal lives. That shall be your curse._"

The cloudiness fogging my vision slowly receded.

The men blinked a few times, looking around. Then, they turned and left without another word.

I looked anxiously back at Edward. He still hadn't moved, even though I knew he could. I didn't want to be the first to speak; I didn't know what to say. It would be difficult at best to explain to him what had just happened.

That was when the fatigue caught up to me. I had used too much magic, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it. I stumbled slightly.

Edward didn't hesitate. He wrapped his solid arm around me and carried me to his car. His touch was gentle. I could feel his worry over me. It was comforting to know that even after everything that had happened, even if he was mad at me, he still cared.

And I could tell he was still extremely angry, but I didn't know if the feeling was directed at me or at my would-be attackers. Or both, for that matter.

After we were both situated in the car, he began to drive out of the warehouse district and back towards the touristy area, not that I was really paying attention. My attention was entirely on Edward.

His face betrayed nothing.

"What are you?" he finally asked. The anger that was radiating off of him didn't show through his tone.

Immediately, I felt relieved. I didn't want him to hate me. I didn't think before I used my magic against him. I'd never even used hypnosis before—I didn't know it would work. I didn't feel bad about using my magic against humans. I did feel bad about using it against _him_.

"I'm a witch."

His brow furrowed. "Witches aren't real."

I grinned at him, resting my head against the cool glass of the window. A half-hearted laugh that was probably not appropriate for the situation managed to escape me.

"Neither are vampires and yet here we are."

* * *

_A/N:_

_Oh boy._

_Thank you all for your kind follows/faves/reviews! A special shout out to reader RedUnicorns whose review almost made me cry with relief. I am working realllly hard to make sure that this story is my own while at the same time making sure it fits as well as it can into the world of Twilight that we all know and love. The last thing I want are characters that are OOC. Consequentially, I now know wayyy more about the Cullens than high school me would have ever would have thought lol._

_But before we get to them, Edward and Emme both have a lot of explaining to do..._

_Until next time!_


	11. Chapter 10: Trust

He looked at me as if he didn't know whether or not he should be concerned that I had finally figured out his secret or exasperated that I didn't seem to be taking it seriously. Knowing Edward, it was probably a mix of both.

"Look, Edward. I'm willing to answer your questions as long as you answer some of mine. I've figured most of it out on my own—without your help, so you're safe from the wrath of your family. But before we talk about anything, I need to find Jess and Angela and tell them that they're on their own for dinner. Deal?"

He thought over it for a moment before turning the Volvo around and driving back towards the harbor. He stopped his car right in front of the Italian place I was supposed to be meeting my friends. I could see them both sitting on a bench outside, talking. It seemed impossible that I was only fifteen minutes late. The whole ordeal seemed much longer than that.

Jessica noticed me first. Her jaw dropped open when she noticed whose car I had just exited. For once, she was speechless.

"Hey, guys… I ran into Edward while running my errands. I hope you don't mind, but he offered to drive me home. Raincheck on dinner?"

I knew Jess would go for it, but I dreaded what tomorrow at school would be like. I was bound to be bombarded with a million questions.

Angela didn't seem to mind, however. "Sure. Have fun," she smiled with a wink. "See you tomorrow, Emme."

Edward managed to adhere to the speed limit within the city limits of Port Angeles, but as soon as we hit the highway he pushed the speed of his Volvo to something I could only assume would have been dangerous to anyone that didn't have super durability.

"Tell me what you're thinking." His statement was a command, but his tone softened it into more of a plea.

"I was wondering how fast you were going," I told him honestly.

The corners of his mouth twitched. "After everything that just happened, after you admit you know what I am, you're most concerned with my driving," he mused. "I don't think I'll ever be able to understand the way your mind works, Emme."

"Give it time."

It was silent for a moment.

"What did you do to those… men," Edward asked, spitting out the last word as if it hardly described them. He was right. Monsters probably would have been a better choice.

"I hypnotized them. You too, actually. Sorry about that. I was running on pure instinct, and I didn't want you to do something you'd regret. I had a feeling that if I didn't stop you, you were going to do something stupid."

"Don't apologize for that," Edward said hastily. "Your instincts were right. I'm still trying to convince myself that it wouldn't be helpful to turn around and hunt them down."

"As if I'd let you."

"After this evening, I believe that."

"Plus, it's not like I let them get away unscathed, anyways," I mentioned nonchalantly.

Edward immediately sent me an exasperated look. "What does _that_ mean?"

"I might have… cursed them."

Edward sighed, running his long fingers through his bronze hair. I couldn't stop myself from imagining what it felt like.

"Don't take me home." My words were sudden. They came out of nowhere, but I knew I couldn't just go home after this. I had spent all of last night awake and thinking; if Edward took me home now, I would do the same thing again.

I expected Edward to refuse, but he didn't. "Are you sure?"

I only had to nod.

We drove in silence for a while. Edward took a turn off the highway. Night had fallen. I couldn't see anything out of the windows, which meant nothing but the dark forest surrounded us. I let myself finally relax, closing my eyes. The use of magic had caught up to me, not to mention I hadn't slept the night before. Strangely, I wasn't really tired. I was just exhausted.

Eventually, the car crawled to a stop.

I sat up, looking to see where we were. The road had dead-ended to a foot trail.

"Are you up for a hike?"

I stared at him, incredulous. "That's what you want to do right now? Hike?"

He shrugged, smiling at me crookedly. "You said you didn't want to go home. You seem like you need the distraction."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's what you're supposed to be. But I suppose this works too."

We got out of the car. The night was chilly and silent. I wished I could see the stars above us, but it was as cloudy as it tended to be in Forks.

"Lead the way."

Edward started on the path. I followed closely after him. He was much more graceful than I was. Edward moved through the trees like the wind—silently and without leaving a trace that he was there. I wasn't graceless, per se, but I was nothing like him, either. He was beautiful in the darkness.

"Are all of your kind as graceful as you are?" I asked, thinking out loud.

He smirked, continuing on the path. "It isn't hard to be. We are much more attuned to our bodies than humans are."

"So you're graceful, you're strong, you can hear perfectly from a distance… what else am I missing?"

Edward looked at me, eyebrows raised. He looked like he was about to protest, but I interrupted him.

"Don't even think about arguing with me, Edward. We're past keeping secrets from each other. I know you have questions too, and I said I would answer them. But seeing as I figured you out first, I think it's only fair."

"You're right," he sighed.

"I usually I am," I grinned triumphantly. "So what else?"

"I'm sure you also noticed that we are much faster than humans, in addition to stronger."

I immediately thought back to the alleyway. He had appeared next to me before I could even blink. "How could I forget," I said dryly. "But you can come outside during the daytime." I hurried my footsteps a little more so I wouldn't be directly behind Edward. I wanted to be able to watch his face; it was the next closest thing to reading his thoughts.

He laughed, which I wasn't expecting. "Yes."

"Does that mean you don't burn in the sun?"

"That's a myth," he assured me, still laughing.

"What happens to you in the sun?" His reaction meant it had to be something good.

"I'll show you one day," he promised.

I quirked a brow. "You're evading again," I pointed out.

"I'm sorry." Edward apologized, but his face said he was obviously teasing me. Still, he didn't elaborate.

"But you still won't tell me?" The question came out as more of a statement.

Edward took my elbow gently, helping me over a fallen, moss-covered log. His touch sent a chill through me. I couldn't stop myself from smiling at him.

He seemed to notice but kindly chose to not comment on it. "I promise, this is something you'll want to see for yourself."

I let out a frustrated sigh, although I'm sure he was probably right. "Fine. Do you sleep in coffins?"

"No. I don't sleep at all."

That fact was strangely relatable at the moment. I wished I had grabbed some energy potion before I left the house—or at least thought to get a coffee in Port Angeles.

"So is there really isn't anything that books and movies got right," I noted.

"Only two that I can think of," he agreed.

"And they are?"

"Well, we're immortal."

This gave me pause. "Surely vampires can be killed, though." If I ever wanted to get my revenge on the High Council and the Volturi one day, this sort of thing would be valuable information.

Edward looked at me with a curious expression, clearly seeing the wheels turning in my head. "Yes, we can be killed, though not by humans. It takes much more than just a stake through the heart."

"I'm not a human," I reminded him. "But don't worry. I don't plan on killing you anytime soon."

"That's reassuring." Clearly Edward was well versed in sarcasm.

"What's the other thing Hollywood got right, then?"

"We're all spectacularly attractive, of course." He graced me with his crooked smile. The effect was dazzling, as I'm sure he intended.

I could only chuckle in response. It was absolutely true, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of admitting it to him.

After our laughter died down, he spoke again. "This would be much faster if you allowed me to run us there."

I looked at him, interested. "I didn't know we had a particular destination in mind. But if I'm going too slow for you, by all means—"

The word had barely left my mouth before Edward moved. He took me into his arms, cradling me to his solid chest. And then, he took off at a speed I had certainly never achieved, even in the car. I had to clench my eyes shut, the cool air burning my face as we went. I felt the world fly by us—and that's truly what it seemed like. He couldn't have been simply running. Edward made no sound as we dashed through the forest.

And as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

Gently, Edward set me down. I was a bit unsteady; surely I wasn't actually meant to move that fast. But to me, it was thrilling. I found myself thinking about how my aunts told me one day I would have enough stamina to be able to fly. I hadn't thought about it too much until now, but I genuinely hoped I would.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" His voice was high, excited.

I nodded enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. "I've never moved that fast in my entire life. It felt like I was flying. I might need to sit down for a minute, though."

Edward held out his hand to me. I took it without hesitation.

It was then that I thought to look around. We were in a small meadow. It was perfect and round, the trees circling it protectively. The grass was scattered with wildflowers of soft violets, pinks, and whites, though they were dimmed into shades of blue with the shadows of the night. I could hear a stream in the distance. It was ethereal. It was perfect.

"What is this place?" I breathed. The magic of it all flooded my senses, but it wasn't overwhelming like blood was. It was invigorating. Suddenly, I wasn't as fatigued as I thought I was.

"It's just a place I found. I usually like to come here when the weather is nice."

I moved to the center of it and sat, leaning back on my palms. "I love it," I told him honestly. "It's magical."

Edward moved to sit next to me. He was close enough that I could reach out and touch him, but he still left distance between us. I wondered if it was because he was wary of me.

"Are you afraid of me?" I wondered, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

He answered almost too quickly. "No." He was telling the truth. I didn't sense anything from him that wasn't genuine.

I had been worried that he wouldn't accept me when he found out what I was, but I should have known better. I smile at him fondly. "Go on, then."

It was like opening the flood gates.

He asked me everything about my magic, how it worked, and what I could do. He asked me about my aunts and my parents. He even asked questions that had nothing to do with me being a witch.

I hadn't realized how much patience and self-control he had; Edward was much more curious than I had given him credit for. He had wanted to learn just as much about me as I had wanted to learn about him.

"You know, you're part of the reason why I've managed to progress with my magic so quickly," I told him.

He looked at me, brow furrowed, waiting for me to continue.

"The first time I ever looked at you, I could hear voices—hundreds of them, all at once. Witches are clairvoyant, and it's fairly simple to use some bit of that early on, but telepathy is a bit of a harder to manage skill. I think you were sort of a magical catalyst."

"I did wonder why you had reacted to me so strangely. I was more concerned about why I couldn't hear you myself to think too much on it, though."

"It was probably because I was reflecting everyone else's voices back at you. Until I learned to keep people out, that is." It was silent for a moment before I added, "The same thing happened with Alice and Jasper. Every time I looked at Alice, I could see her visions. It's how I knew where you disappeared to after we first met."

Edward looked shocked at that. "You know where I went?"

"Well, I don't know exactly where. I just know it was someplace cold—it was covered in snow. And you were with someone named Tanya."

"She's part of a coven in Denali. They're vegetarians like us. We visit them frequently," Edward affirmed.

"What made you come back?" I questioned. "You wouldn't have had to worry about outing your family if you had stayed with them. I know you wanted to, too."

Edward shrugged. "Esme doesn't like it when we leave. I didn't want to hurt her." He looked at me. "And if I'm being perfectly honest… I feel a bond between us that I can't ignore."

"Even though you tried," I grinned.

He smiled his crooked smile.

"We can both agree we're past that now, right? No more evasions."

"No more evasions," Edward agreed.

We sat in comfortable silence until the shadow of night started receding. We had spent all night in the meadow, and I would have to start getting ready for school soon. Despite spending two nights in a row without sleep, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.

The ride home was mostly spent in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. His unfathomable speed had us arriving at my aunt's house much faster than I would have liked. I wanted as much time with Edward as I could get.

"You should think about skipping today and getting some rest."

"I'm still going to school, Edward. Aren't you?"

Edward shook his head and then appeared at my door, opening it for me. "There's more sun in the forecast today. My family and I will be staying at home."

The words were out before I could think about them. "Do you want to come?"

Curiously, Edward peered down at me. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to come to school?" I repeated. I wanted to see him.

"Yes."

"Then I'll see you there," I told him as I stood.

"I can't just risk—"

I laughed. His concern was endearing. "You won't be risking anything, Edward, I promise. Meet me at school, and I'll take care of the rest."

* * *

I pulled into the school parking lot at the normal time.

I was surprised how long it had taken my aunts to walk me through conjuring clouds. It sounded simple, but it fell under spell casting which was my absolute worst affinity. I found myself secretly hoping that another vampire would come along and look at me so I could be immediately good at that, too.

Eventually, however, I got the hang of it well enough that Edward wouldn't have to worry about the sun spilling his secret to the teenagers of Forks. My only worry is that I wouldn't be able to hold it for a full day—especially when I was already running on no sleep.

I didn't have to wait long before I saw Edward's silver Volvo pull into the spot next to mine.

"No siblings today," I noted as he got out of his car.

He smirked. "They put their money on Alice. Normally, I wouldn't bet against her either."

"I'm glad you trusted me," I told him honestly.

The bell rang before he could answer. "I'll see you at lunch?" Edward asked.

"Absolutely."

A couple of kids within earshot stared at me in shock as Edward left me to go to his first period. I didn't pay them any attention. I didn't pay attention to anything in English or Government, either. In fact, I spent the entirety of those periods focusing on keeping the sun from emerging.

My aunts had warned me that I probably didn't have enough stamina to keep this up all day, but I was too stubborn and too eager for more time with Edward to listen to them.

I was annoyed at myself by the time I made it to Trig. My feelings grew to horror as I saw Jessica hurry into her seat next to me. Between my unplanned ditching of her last night and this very second, I had completely forgotten that she was probably planning on pestering me with questions that I didn't really want to answer.

"_Edward Cullen?_" she hissed immediately. "You didn't tell me you were talking to _Edward Cullen_."

She said his name as if he were some sort of pariah, though her voice was awed. It was a mix that only Jessica could pull off.

"We're friends," I told her candidly. Edward and I were almost certainly soulmates—but neither she nor Edward needed to know that. And I was sure he would be listening to this conversation.

"But you'd like to be more than that, right? You like him?"

I threw her a bone. "Of course I like him. Probably more than he likes me."

"Did you tell him to meet us in Port Angeles last night?" she asked, giving me an accusatory glance.

"No, that was just a coincidence. I figured you wouldn't mind if I went with him, though."

Jess was squealing now. "Of course not! This is _news_, Emme. The Cullens don't talk to anybody unless they have to—until now, that is. What did you two do after you left?"

"He just took me home." It was technically true. I just left out the bit before that where we stayed out all night explaining our deepest secrets to each other.

She didn't like that answer, though. "That's it? Are you going to see each other again?"

I could feel my hold on the weather outside slipping. It was time to wrap this up. "I think so. I invited him to hang out, and he said yes."

Jess squealed again and this time she earned a stern warning from Mr. Varner. Luckily, she didn't press for any more information in his class, and when we got to Spanish, her attention was back on her, Mike, and their date this week.

I was thankful to let her talk and mostly just sat there with my eyes closed and my head in the clouds—literally.

"I take it you're not sitting with us today?" Jess smirked as we walked into the cafeteria.

Edward was sitting at his family's usual table, alone. He smiled brightly at me when he noticed I was looking at him. I couldn't stop a smile of my own from appearing either.

"I'll see you in Gym," I told the girl before making my way over to Edward.

"Surely you aren't planning on eating all that," I joked as I sat down. The tray in front of him was filled with enough food to feed two people, at least.

Edward's eyes glinted with amusement. "I'm not planning on eating any of it."

"This is way too much for just one person," I told him, horrified. I'd never usually had that big of an appetite. I was definitely more of a snack all day kind of person.

He looked at me as if I were missing something. "I still have to keep up appearances, Emme."

"Oh. Of course." I began picking at the tray of food. I wasn't hungry, but I figured it would help keep my energy up.

"What's wrong?" he inquired tenderly.

I thought I had been hiding my insecurities, but I should have known better. I could read Edward, and despite what he thought, he could read me just as well.

"I have to ask you to do something, but I really don't want to," I admitted, munching on an apple.

Edward stared at me, topaz eyes laced with concern. "What is it?"

I waved him off. "It's not a big deal or anything. It's just that holding onto the clouds like this is a bit harder than I thought it would be. I think I'd be able to last the entire day normally, but I haven't slept for a couple of days and—"

"You haven't slept in two days?" Edward's looked incredulous, and the concern in his gaze intensified.

"I've had a lot on my mind!" I defended quickly. "Really, it's kind of a normal thing for me. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," I give him a pointed look, "I think you should leave after lunch. Just in case. I don't want to take any chances, you know?"

Edward hummed in agreement but looked as if he was thinking hard about something.

"Now it's my turn to ask what the matter is," I told him plainly.

The corners of his mouth lips quirked upward in a ghost of a grin. "You're much more observant than I give you credit for."

"You're trying to deflect the question. No more evasions, remember?"

Edward nodded as he ran his hand through his already tousled sepia-toned hair. "You said you didn't want to ask me to leave. Why is that?"

I froze. That was exactly the sort of question I didn't want to answer. He could have asked me anything about my magic or my family and I would have told him without hesitation. It was a lot harder for me to talk about my feelings, however—especially when they were so embarrassingly human. I didn't like admitting to myself how much I thought about him when he wasn't around. I wasn't exactly thrilled to tell him that to his face. But I also knew I couldn't lie to him. It did help that I already knew he felt the bond between us as well. Admitting something like this wouldn't be so weird if he felt the same way.

"I…" I hesitated, suddenly finding the table incredibly interesting. "Being away from you is very distracting to me." I glanced up at him, worried that I'd said the wrong thing.

Edward was silent and tense. His expression was pained. "This is wrong," he groaned.

"What are you talking about, Edward?"

"It's one thing for me to make myself miserable, but wholly another thing for you to be so involved." He spoke quickly as if the speed of his words would make me understand his meaning faster. "I don't want you to feel that way. I'm a danger to you, Emme. It's not safe—for either of us. This could end badly, and I don't want to see you hurt."

I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of his words. I thought I caught myself in time, but Edward must have noticed. His expression darkened even further.

"I'm serious," he practically growled.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Edward stared at me blankly. He didn't reply; he just waited for me to continue.

"The night you found me in Port Angeles, I had just found out that my father was murdered by your kind. It's why I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going or what I was doing. I was thinking about you, mostly, and why I wasn't afraid of you or your family even after learning what you were. I wanted to know why we were so connected. I couldn't understand why I would be so drawn to _you_ when you were the very thing that got my father killed. But after thinking everything over… I don't think everything is as black and white as I originally thought. You can't just lump everything into two categories. All humans aren't good. All witches aren't good. All vampires surely aren't evil, surely. We all make decisions throughout our lives—good and bad—and they shape us to be who we are and who we will be. My aunts say some things are just meant to be, but I think that if you don't like it, you don't have to be complacent. Fate gives us the thread, but it's up to us to weave it. So, yes, you might be dangerous. But you're still you, and that's what's important. I know you'd never hurt me. I trust you."

It was perhaps the longest speech I'd ever given, but I'd meant every word of it.

Edward's expression was soft and thoughtful. "I can't say I'd ever believed in it before, no," he admitted. "But I can see what you mean."

"It's not healthy to have such a bleak outlook on your life, Edward."

"I prefer existence." He looked completely serious, though his tone was back to being playful.

His mood was contagious. I snickered at his word choice.

"Alice told me it was supposed to be sunny again tomorrow," he mentioned, staring out the cafeteria windows. My heartfelt speech had stirred enough emotions in me to make it start to drizzle outside.

"I can take care of that for you," I offered.

He gave me a very obvious once over. "As much as I don't like being away from you, I have a better idea—one that doesn't involve you depleting your energy for my sake."

"I'm listening."

"Since it will be nice out, I'll be spending the day out of the public eye. I was hoping you'd join me."

I perked up. "So I can see what happens to you in the sun?"

Edward smiled at my eagerness. "Yes—if you'd like to."

"Of course I'd like to," I smiled. "I'll do a half-day tomorrow… I'll leave here after Spanish and you can either pick me up from my aunts' house or I can meet you somewhere." We made the final arrangements for the next day as the bell rang.

I gave Edward ten minutes before I let go of the clouds. Slowly but surely, they disappeared, and the sun began to shine. I felt the effects of the magical use acutely now that Edward wasn't around to distract me from it. Luckily for me, Mr. Banner decided to play a movie in Biology. I situated my head on my arm, and fell asleep in the dark classroom, not even trying to stay awake.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Ughhhhh. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but I was so bored through it all that it was hard for me to write lol. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm the only one that knows how these characters act and think, not to mention all their secrets, so these conversations were something important. Hopefully, my boredom didn't show through too terribly... I'm still not totally happy with it but it'll do for now. I do quite enjoy the Edward/Emme dynamic though. I think it has a bit more life and playfulness than the original Edward/Bella. Anyways, let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading :)_

_Until next time!_


	12. Chapter 11: Sunlit Meadow

I didn't go home immediately after school.

My aunts were so used to magic and books answering all of their questions, that they didn't see the need to waste money on a computer or internet services. But the answers to my questions weren't going to be found with magic—at least not yet anyway.

So far, all I had to work with was a name. Mary Brandon. Surely there were hundreds of girls with that name in just this country, if not thousands. I should be happy that the name wasn't just Mary, but I still found myself frustrated that the demon hadn't offered any more information. I didn't have anything of hers, and since she was still living, I couldn't just summon her. I was in total darkness.

Mrs. Hayes, the librarian, let me search for two hours after school before not so subtly but kindly asking me to leave so she could as well. Not many students needed the library for so long, so my presence there was an oddity.

My search didn't turn anything up though, much to my dismay.

I had planned on asking my aunts if they had any bright ideas, but they had other plans when I walked in the door.

"Emme!" Blair called from the kitchen. "Just in time! Come join us." She sounded out of breath and flustered.

I sighed, tired already from my five-hour long spell cast, two nights with no sleep, and the most brutal game of badminton that poor Mike had ever experienced.

I was caught off guard when I walked into the kitchen. I expected a lot of weird things from my aunts, but I definitely didn't expect the scene that I had walked into.

Aunt Blair was holding what I assumed was a large raven by the foot. Isolde stood across the room from her, arm out, obviously holding on to the creature by magic. Blair set it down on the counter gently, but Isolde did not release her grip.

"We found him on the porch," Blair said as if that were an explanation.

I approached the bird carefully. Its eyes were wide and panicked. I could feel that it was in pain. "And what are you doing to the poor thing?" I demanded.

"We aren't doing anything," Isolde said with a roll of her eyes. "It's hurt and you're going to heal it."

"You want me to heal something that's alive?" I asked, incredulous. I didn't like healing since it depleted my energy much faster than any other type of magic, not to mention I'd only tried it once on a paper cut that Blair had gotten over a month ago.

"It's Monday!" Blair reassured. "You'll be fine."

I groaned, knowing that I would lose this fight so it was better just to get it over with.

The good thing about being clairvoyant was that I could use my abilities to sense what animals needed or wanted. I could use telepathy with humans, but with animals, it was more of an intuition that helped me to communicate. I hadn't exactly tested it yet seeing as my aunts didn't have any pets, but I was pretty good at clairvoyance so far. I mentally thanked Edward for that particular feat.

"Alright then. What's wrong with you?" I murmured, peering down at the bird. "Let it go," I told Isolde.

She did as I asked.

The bird squawked shrilly immediately after it was free, trying and failing to jump onto its feet. The pain it was feeling intensified as it moved, but I knew it still saw us as threats.

"It's okay. I'm going to help you. What's the matter?" I tried to keep my voice as calm and soothing as possible. As I spoke, the raven began to calm. Ravens were surprisingly smart; it could sense that I didn't mean it any harm.

The Grimoire was already sitting on the counter, ready for me. There was an incantation that showed what was wrong with someone that was hurt. There weren't very many spells in the book that couldn't be used on animals, so I decided to try that one. I flipped through the Grimoire, looking for the right incantation until I found it.

I held my hands palm down over the bird. "_Dolor revelare._" The air between my hands and the bird became hazy with magic, like air over hot asphalt. I held my concentration until the bird's left wing began to glow a soft gold color. The spell didn't technically tell me what was wrong with the wing, but witches could use their uncannily accurate sixth sense to figure that out.

"I think the wing is broken," I informed my aunts hesitantly.

"So how would you fix it?" Isolde asked.

"Just feed it some healing potion, I guess. It isn't in danger of dying so there's no need to do it myself with magic to hurry the healing process."

Isolde nodded while Blair handed me a bowl of blueberries mixed with the potion. I rolled my eyes, slightly irritated that they had obviously already figured everything out and had only quizzed me for the fun of it. I grabbed the bowl and thrust it in front of the raven.

"Eat up, girl. You'll be better soon."

The raven nibbled at the berries.

The healing potion was something that worked for a lot of things—like ibuprofen but for witches. We didn't get sick very often, but on the slim chance that we did or we got hurt, healing potions would generally take care of it. Life-threatening injuries that needed immediate attention had to be healed with magic, though. It was harder to do because it was so dangerous. To heal someone with magic, a witch literally had to will her own life force to someone else. I had heard stories of witches trying to heal people and killing themselves in the process; the other people were so injured that the witch didn't have enough energy to do it.

I watched the raven eat the berries thoughtfully.

"I have a question that isn't related to this at all."

My aunts both stopped what they were doing and looked at me.

"You know how the demon told me to find Mary Brandon, right? Well, I stayed after school today to try and find her on the internet, but came up empty-handed. There are thousands of Mary Brandons in the United States alone. So I was wondering if there was a magical way to find someone that I didn't know about."

Blair pursed her lips in thought. "Well, there is scrying," she mentioned. "But you don't have enough information for that to really work. Most people scry already knowing the person they're looking for. If they don't, they have a personal item or more information to narrow it down. You can always try it, but I think you'll need to wait until you have more to go off of."

It was exactly as I had thought.

The raven had finished eating. "I'll take her for the night," I told them, gathering it into my arms carefully. Surprisingly, she didn't protest.

I hastily made the raven a comfortable nest on my desk out of towels. The bird fell asleep almost as soon as I placed her in it.

I could almost guarantee that I would also fall asleep that quickly as well.

* * *

I decided the easiest way to get excused from classes the next day was to feign illness.

It wasn't hard at all to do since I basically resembled some sort of reanimated corpse. I had slept so hard the previous night that I had woken up not recognizing my surroundings. I definitely thought I was still dreaming when a large, black raven jumped onto the footboard of my bed and cawed at me until I opened the window to free her.

My day didn't exactly improve when I walked up to my group of friends only to be greeted by Mike Newton with a "Wow, Emme. You look like hell."

I fumed silently, remembering the exchange. I wished that Mrs. Cope would go faster contacting Mr. Banner and Coach Clapp. They were the only ones I needed an excuse for.

"You're all set, sweetie. Go home and get some rest, okay?" the secretary finally told me. _'Poor thing looks like she hasn't slept in weeks.'_

I suppressed a frown at her thoughts. "I will. Thanks, Mrs. Cope."

Despite how I looked to others, I didn't actually feel that tired. I was maybe a little more sluggish than usual, but I had gotten a solid twelve hours of deep sleep the night before. I drove home with the windows down, relishing the rejuvenating feeling of the sun and wind on my skin.

I hadn't put the car in park before Edward's silver Volvo stopped on the road in front of my aunts' house. I didn't even bother going in to drop my stuff off inside. I was too eager to see him.

"Impeccable timing, as usual," I noted, climbing into the passenger seat of his car. I hadn't noticed before that the windows of his car were tinted. I had to remind myself that I would see him in the sun soon enough. Still, I was impatient.

"How was your morning?" he asked me pleasantly.

"The first thing that happened was Mike telling me I looked like hell. So, I guess it could have been better."

Edward's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Mike Newton is the epitome of irritating," he snarled much more aggressively than I would have expected from him.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He's not _that_ bad—a little over-eager maybe," I defended half-heartedly.

"Perhaps, though you don't have to listen to his thoughts."

I winced. "Are they that bad? I've never been curious enough to look."

His eyes darted to my face quickly before finding the road once more. "Yes."

Of course, that only made me more curious than if he had said nothing. He didn't elaborate further. I sighed in frustration but didn't press him.

"What did you do this morning?" I questioned, changing the subject.

He grinned at this, previous tension suddenly gone. "Alice and I went hunting."

I perked up, interested. We had talked about Edward's vegetarian lifestyle before, but we didn't really get into the specifics of it all. "What do you like to hunt?"

"Mountain lion," he answered, a smile growing. "We have to be careful not to impact the environment, so sometimes we go farther out to hunt. There's plenty of deer and elk here, but where's the fun in that?"

I turned to him, slightly shocked. I didn't really expect him to talk so blatantly about his hunting habits. We did promise no more evasions, but Edward tended to speak about his "affliction" with a certain bleakness that was reserved for doctors informing patients of terminal illnesses. It would seem that this was something Edward at least somewhat enjoyed.

"What are you thinking?" he wondered, worry coming off of him in waves.

"You didn't scare me, if that's what you're worried about," I chuckled.

A crease formed between Edward's brows. "Tell me what you're thinking, please."

"I was trying to picture you hunting a mountain lion. I have a feeling its very similar to how the lion hunts itself. You're very catlike."

Edward flashed me a smile. "You're perceptive."

"So you've mentioned. When do I get to meet Alice?" I had a good feeling about the girl, a feeling that I hadn't really gotten with any of Edward's other siblings.

Edward was amused by my eagerness. "You sound like her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's been asking to meet you, too," Edward elaborated.

"And yet you've been keeping me to yourself!" I gasped sarcastically. "I am too much of a delight for your sister to be denied meeting me."

Edward smiled at my antics as he parked the car in the same spot as we had last time. The dead-end looked a lot different than it had in the dead of night. Everything was brighter; there was so much green that any other colors seemed dull in comparison.

"Can we run?" I asked excitedly, getting out of the Volvo. I looked up at the sky. It was definitely sunny—warm even. When my attention turned back to the vehicle, I noticed Edward hadn't made any moves to get out.

There was no warning. Edward had me in his arms before I could blink, and then we were off. It was just as exhilarating as it had been the first time—more even since it wasn't dark and I could actually see. Not that I could keep my eyes open for very long; the wind made them water more than I would have liked.

When we stopped, I wasn't nearly as disoriented as I had been last time. Maybe it was because I was better rested, but whatever the reason I was thankful for it. I moved into the middle of the meadow, admiring it in the different light. Most of the night-blooming wildflowers had wilted, but it was no less beautiful. The green of the soft grass was vivid enough to make up for the lack of pastels.

When I turned to look at Edward, he was still in the shadows of the forest. He seemed nervous.

I gave him the most reassuring look I could, although I'm sure it was diluted by the curiosity in my eyes. I sank into the grass and laid back, staring up at the blue sky above me. I exhaled feeling more relaxed than I had in recent memory. I felt Edward lay down next to me, but I didn't look at him—not yet.

"I can tell you're nervous," I murmured in a low voice. I didn't want to make him nervous. A cloud passed in front of the sun, making it easier for me to admire the sky.

"Every time I tell you something about my kind, I always wait for you to run afterward. It's what any sane person would do," he confessed in the same soft tone that I had used.

I smiled, still staring at the sky. I didn't know much about Edward's background yet, but it was clear that he hadn't quite accepted what he was. "Maybe I'm not sane, then," I announced with a snigger. "And I don't like running, either."

Edward turned his head to look at me. His gaze expressed a fondness that I had never seen from anyone before.

I suddenly realized that I had been subconsciously holding on to the clouds to make Edward more comfortable, but he didn't seem to need them anymore. With a deep breath, I let them go. A glint of light caught my eye as the sun began to emerge once again.

Edward in the sun was striking, to say the least. His alabaster skin shone as if thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded on the surface. The effect was ethereal.

And it was eerily familiar.

I couldn't believe he had been nervous to show me this. It was like I was finally seeing him without any secrets standing in my way. It was beautiful. I let out a peal of laughter, sitting up though my gaze didn't leave him once. "This is what you were so worried about?" I asked.

Edward sat up as well, avoiding my eyes. He didn't say anything.

"Don't make me read your mind," I warned, even though we both knew I wouldn't.

"I worry a lot with you, Emme." Edward was being sincere. Slowly, almost tantalizingly, he reached out and brushed his cold hand against my cheek.

I closed my eyes, chills running down my spine. His hand was cold, but my face was burning. I felt the magic before I knew fully what I was doing. It wasn't until that moment that I remembered the vision that Alice and I had shared; I knew before I opened my eyes what I had done.

Throughout the clearing, the wildflowers had begun to bloom into bursts of color.

Edward was perfectly still. "That was you?" he finally whispered. The question came out as more of a statement.

I nodded, looking away. The meadow really was gorgeous with the flowers in bloom. "I guess now is the time where I tell you that every time I do something like that _I _expect _you_ to run… it's what any sane person would do," I quoted jokingly.

His fingers reached out uncertainly and laced themselves with mine. "Maybe I'm not sane either." He was smiling his crooked grin.

"Is it hard for you to be around me like this?" I wondered. It was hard not to think that when he was always so guarded.

"You're actually too easy to be around," he told me. "I have to constantly remind myself that you are more human than I am."

"I'm not fragile, Edward," I reminded him. "And you're not half as dangerous as you think you are."

Edward was on his feet in an instant. He was across the meadow before I could register him. "I'm a predator, Emme. Everything about me invites you in—my face, my voice, even my smell. As if I need any of that!" To prove his point, Edward reached up and pulled a two-foot thick branch off the tree next to him with one hand. He threw it with unfathomable speed across the clearing and into another tree. The sound of the wood against wood echoed through the forest, the branch shattering into pieces with the force of it. He made it look effortless, and that was because to him, it was.

I sat, completely still, shocked at his abrupt change in mood. He was trying to prove a point, obviously: I was too accepting of him. I was supposed to be wary. I was supposed to be afraid.

But I wasn't. I stood up slowly, not even bothering trying to hide the frown on my face. The wind began to pick up with the ferocity of my emotions.

"What do you want from me, Edward? To admit it? Of course you're dangerous. I know that. But you know what? So am I!" I had a point to prove, too.

Clouds formed rapidly in the sky, blocking out the sun with my will. The wind now howled around us, forcing the trees to bend at unnatural angles. I brought my focus onto the tree that Edward had thrown the branch at. Lightning crackled in the sky before finally reaching down to the Earth. The tree didn't stand a chance. The thunder crashed louder than I would have expected, but I ignored it, watching the top of the tree split right down the middle, leaves burning in the lightning's wake.

I looked back at Edward, my eyes narrowing. "You can move fast? I can stop you. You're strong? I don't need strength. I have magic." My tone was harsh. I needed him to understand that I knew what I was getting myself into.

Edward didn't have to—he shouldn't—hate himself for what he was.

I took a deep breath, letting go of the weather that I had changed. It had been a stupid thing for me to do. That level of magic was well beyond the amount of energy that I had wanted to use today, not to mention that people were bound to notice the freak lightning storm that I caused. I sank down, sitting in the middle of the meadow once more, exhausted. "The point is, Edward. Yes, you're dangerous. I'm not completely blind. But you aren't dangerous to _me._"

Edward was seated next to me again at once as if the power display between the two of us had never happened. "Please forgive me." His voice was gentle, desperate.

I took a deep breath, calming myself further. "You don't need to apologize," I assured him, running my hand through my hair, embarrassed. I felt like I had just thrown some sort of temper tantrum, though from what I could tell, Edward was feeling similarly. "We're different. It's foolish to try to pretend we aren't. But I don't think that means we can't be together."

It was silent for a moment before Edward spoke again.

"You already know I tried to leave," he began slowly. "I felt the pull between us the first day we met, but I didn't realize what it meant until later. I inadvertently saw a vision in Alice's thoughts. I realized that if we were together, your life would change irrevocably. I didn't want to do that to you. This life isn't something I'd ever choose for anyone, especially someone I cared about. So, I ran. By the next morning, I was in Alaska."

I stared in surprise. "Alice saw me as one of you?" I didn't even know what to think about that.

"At the time, yes. But as I'm sure you know the future can change. This particular vision is always blurry—it isn't set in stone. But it was enough to make me distance myself. And then you were almost crushed by a van," Edward laughed, disbelieving. "You seem to be a magnet for perilous situations, Emme."

"It seems to run in my family," I blanched. I fell backward, lying down once more. The sky was almost back to the blue it had been before I had darkened it.

He joined me, still holding onto my hand. "I acted without thinking of the consequences. All I could think was, 'not her.'"

"I heard that, actually," I admitted sheepishly. "I didn't mean to. My powers seem to work better in tense or emotionally charged situations. I couldn't control it as well at the time either. I'm sorry."

Edward closed his eyes, finally relaxing. "I could never blame you for that. It would be terribly hypocritical of me, although I do appreciate it."

"So what happened next?"

"My family saw what I did—what both of us did. You learning about what we are was a risk that some weren't willing to take. It was the worst fight my family has ever been in. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper… they didn't want to leave anything to chance. But Carlisle and Alice sided with me. Esme didn't care as long as we could all stay together," he smiled fondly, obviously thinking about his mother figure. "The others came around after Alice helped me persuade them. It's hard to argue with someone when you know you're going to lose. However, they made me promise that I wouldn't say anything to you about what we were."

"Is that why Jasper wanted to attack me in the cafeteria that one day? Because I could tell he was an empath?" I asked, suddenly remembering the moment.

Edward flinched at the memory. "Jasper is the newest to our lifestyle, and his background is… he's very protective of Alice. He saw you as a threat. We didn't know what you were or what you would do with the information you had."

"I hope he knows that I don't plan on doing anything with it," I told him truthfully. I didn't want to do anything that would hurt Edward's family or make them have to leave. I couldn't imagine Forks without them here, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to.

"They're still wary—except Alice, of course. She already has complete confidence in you. But I would never let any of them do anything to harm you. The thought of you still and cold… the thought of never getting to see you look at me the way you do as if you can see right through my pretenses and accept me anyway… it would be unbearable."

I beamed as I turned my head towards him, meeting his golden eyes. My head was spinning and my heart hammering in my chest. I was sure he could hear it. My skin began to tingle, much the way it did when I was exposed to blood. But this was different. This wasn't overwhelming, though. It felt amazing.

I inched closer to him until I could lean my head on his shoulder. Edward stiffened at first but didn't protest.

"Do I make you…" I trailed off, struggling to find the word. "Thirsty? I don't know what you call it."

I could feel the vibrations of Edward's chuckle. "Thirsty is fine. But to answer your question: it depends. When I first met you, you seemed much the same as a normal human. It wasn't until I got back from Alaska that I realized your smell changes, though I can still tell it's you. And today I noticed that you were a bit more potent while using your powers. It's nothing I can't handle, though," he assured me.

"Does this bother you?" I wanted to make sure that I wasn't crossing any lines.

He hummed. "Absolutely not. You can't imagine how it feels."

I had a pretty good idea.

* * *

_A/N:_

_And with that, everyone, we are about halfway done! I honestly can't believe I've kept this up for so long, but now the end is in sight! Hopefully, there won't be any more info dumps now that we have a solid foundation to work with and there's a decent relationship between Emme and Edward. Instead, we just get mysteries and action... what I've been personally waiting for._

_Also, thank you so so much for all the favorites/follows/reviews. It's incredibly likely that this story will hit over 50 reviews, which might seem like a small amount but is HUGE for me. I have always wanted to be some sort of writer, and your encouragement is heartening, to say the least. So, thank you again!_

_Until next time!_


	13. Chapter 12: An Apology

_A/N:_

_Just a quick heads up: in this story, the Cullens are all two years older than SM made them. This was done on purpose. Again, I know Edward was originally 17, but in this story, he is 19._

* * *

Before I went to bed that night, I decided to try to scry for Mary Brandon. I knew it wouldn't work, but I did it anyway just to be sure. It was worth it to me to at least try. I didn't know exactly when this girl would be in danger, so the sooner I found and helped her, the better.

I looked into the mirror. My face stared back at me, features doubtful. "_Revelare_," I whispered, thinking 'Mary Brandon' clearly.

The glass of the mirror shimmered and my reflection disappeared. It had worked, but there was no one there. I sighed, unsurprised yet still disappointed.

I crawled into bed, tired. Despite my exhaustion, I couldn't sleep.

That's when I heard someone speak.

"_Come back, child."_

Immediately, I shot out of bed. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins. Someone was in my room. I glanced at the crystal on my window sill, but it wasn't glowing. My brows furrowed in confusion until I realized that I recognized the voice.

Slowly, I walked back over to the mirror in the corner of my room.

The demon that I had summoned on the day I tested for Feor was looking back at me from the mirror. I had forgotten to return the mirror back to normal.

"It's you!" I screeched.

The demon chuckled. The man wasn't made out of smoke this time, so I could make out more features. He was still broad and muscular, but now I could see his skin was a cool, dark umber and his eyes were black. The demon looked intimidating, but I could tell by the playful glint in his eyes that he wasn't anything to be afraid of.

"_I've been waiting for you,_" he told me matter-of-factly. I wished I could place his accent.

"I hope it's because you disappeared without giving me any sort of information that would actually help me find this Mary girl," I grumbled.

The demon smiled knowingly. "_I used to bring her presents. She liked to try to guess what they were before I gave them to her. Mary was never allowed to keep any of them, but I brought them anyway because they made her happy. She told me that she inherited a pair of earrings from her mother. They were taken from her too, but the night before I was killed, I stole them back for her. I never got the chance to give them to return them_."

My mind was racing. "Those earrings were hers? She actually touched them and they had sentimental value?"

"_Mary was close to her mother. She would have never been parted with those earrings unless she was forced._"

"Where are they?" I demanded.

"_I put them in the Lawrence mausoleum in the Old French Cemetery. No one has touched them since._"

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but the demon had disappeared. Instead, I was looking at my own reflection. I hadn't found out what the demon's name was, but he gave me something better.

If I could conjure those earrings, I could find Mary Brandon.

* * *

I pulled into the school parking lot still excited about my breakthrough the night before. If I wasn't so eager to see Edward, I would have been incredibly tempted to skip school and try to conjure the earrings immediately. Instead, I decided to wait until afterward.

I was still in the Infiniti finishing the song on the radio. I was in such a good mood, that I found myself actually singing along. Singing was something that I was decent at and enjoyed, but I didn't get much opportunity to do it. My aunts owned an antique gramophone (mostly for the aesthetic), but obviously the options of songs to listen to on that were extremely limited. My house in Salem had had a radio, but it had gotten damaged along with the majority of my belongings when I set the place on fire. The car radio had been my only source of music for months.

I saw Edward approach my car, brows raised, grin on his face.

I sent him a grin that mirrored his own as I cracked the volume to finish the last verse.

"He's gone and I'll admit I knew  
That I had met my waterloo.  
I knew that he would say ado  
With Bonaparte's retreat!"

Edward was openly laughing at my antics as I climbed out of the vehicle. "'Bonaparte's Retreat?'" he asked, grabbing my hand. "I haven't heard that one in a long time."

I smiled up at him as our fingers intertwined. "My mom loved the oldies. It made her nostalgic."

"Me too," he replied. "The fifties were good. Much better than the sixties and seventies…" he shuddered.

"That barely counts as the fifties—" I began before cutting myself off. "Wait. You were alive during the fifties?" I asked, incredulous. I didn't know why I hadn't thought about how old Edward was until this very minute.

"Does it matter?" He was deflecting.

Before I could answer, the bell rang. The other students began making their way inside, but Edward and I didn't move.

"You should get to English," he murmured.

I sighed. I wanted answers, but more specifically I didn't want to leave him.

"Fine. But don't think I'll forget our conversation, Edward."

Edward smirked. "I would expect nothing less, Emme."

There was nothing that Mr. Mason or Mr. Jefferson could teach me that morning that was more interesting than how old Edward Cullen was. It didn't matter to me—Edward was still Edward. But I was excited about the prospect of being able to pick his brain. He could probably answer questions about history that books couldn't.

By the time I wandered into Trig, Jess was already in her seat waiting for me.

"Good morning, Jess," I greeted happily.

She raised a brow at me, smirking as if she knew something I didn't. "I saw you holding hands with Cullen in the parking lot this morning."

"Edward," I corrected.

Jess huffed. "Edward, then. That's not something that 'just friends' do, Emme. Spill."

I rolled my eyes. "I suppose we're more than just friends."

"You're joking!" she exclaimed.

I chuckled lightly. She seemed to be genuinely excited for me. "I'm not," I assured her.

"How did this happen?" Jess demanded. Before I could answer she interrupted herself. "Wait!" she practically yelled, throwing her hands up, palms toward me like she was stopping traffic. "Has he kissed you yet?"

I looked at her blankly. It was very possible that Edward could be listening in on our conversation. I didn't want to say anything that would scare him off. I didn't say anything; I just shook my head, trying to mask my desire for just that to happen.

She pursed her lips in thought. "Okay, well, do you think he will when you hang out?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Jess," I told her honestly. "What about you and Mike? Your date is tomorrow, right?"

I couldn't have picked a better topic to change the subject to.

"Oh my God, Emme, I am so excited! I hope it goes well or else the dance on Saturday is going to be so awkward."

"I don't see how it can be. The two of you are already friends, right? You have been for a while I'm assuming. You know how to hang out together."

"Yeah, but this is different," she stated as if I didn't know what I was talking about. I supposed I probably didn't. I definitely didn't have much experience. "If things go badly, our friend group dynamic is totally going to be ruined. Plus, there's, like, nowhere to avoid him in this stupid tiny town."

She had a point there. I shrugged. "I really think you're worrying over nothing, Jess. You two are perfect for each other." I was terrible at giving this sort of advice, but it seemed as if that's exactly what Jessica had wanted to hear.

She beamed at me, then proceeded to go over every single interaction that Mike had had with her in the last 24 hours since I had seen her. Despite there not being many, it was enough to continue the conversation through both Trig and Spanish. Jess gave me a nudge and a wink as we reached the cafeteria. It wasn't subtle, and I internally groaned as I made my way to Edward, hoping he had somehow missed the exchange.

Like yesterday, Edward had a tray piled with food for us to share. He wasn't at his family's table this time, though. He was alone; the rest of the Cullens had returned with the clouds.

"I hope you don't mind." Edward pushed the tray towards me as I sat down.

I shook my head, grabbing a slice of pizza. "I don't mind at all. I don't like lines. I've been told I'm impatient."

Edward's brows shot up in mock surprise. "I would have never guessed."

"It took everything I had in me to not go snooping around to figure you out faster," I told him candidly. "But we're not talking about me right now. You were about to tell me how old you were when we were so rudely interrupted." I waved my free hand at him jokingly. "You may continue."

He smiled in amusement, but it slowly faded, replaced with a more pensive expression. He was hesitant.

"I promise it won't upset me. Witches also have long life spans. My aunts look in their thirties, but they're actually 53," I pushed.

Edward took a deep breath. "I was born in Chicago in 1899."

It was my turn to look surprised, though my expression wasn't mocking—it was genuine. A thought formed almost immediately in my mind, and I couldn't suppress the giggle that followed.

Edward frowned. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh. It's not even funny, just ignore me, please."

"No more evasions, remember?" he reminded me. He wasn't mad, he just seemed frustrated. I was positive he was wishing he could look into my thoughts more than usual.

And I was making him frustrated over the stupidest reason. I sighed, putting my head in my hands in an effort to hide my face. "It's just that… you grew up in the _Edwardian_ era. Edwardian, Edward… it's fitting…" I trailed off lamely.

I heard a booming laugh the moment I said it. I glanced over at the Cullen table to find Emmett laughing heartily—even Alice was giggling. At least someone enjoyed my terrible sense of humor. Edward, for his part, looked amused.

I was only half paying attention to him though. Alice was staring at me eagerly as if waiting for something. I gave her a small wave and a smile, hoping I looked friendly. I had a really good feeling about her, and I couldn't wait to finally meet her. I wouldn't push anything, though. The Cullens were already cautious around me; I didn't want to scare them away.

It seemed like my friendly attitude had done the opposite of that, however. A wave all Alice needed. The small, pixie-like girl was on her feet and at our table in seconds. "Hi!" she chirped. Her voice was light and musical. It suited her perfectly. She stuck out her hand; it was just as pallid as Edward's was. "I'm Alice Cullen."

"Alice…" Edward warned.

I rolled my eyes at him, taking Alice's cold hand in mine. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Alice. Would you like to join us?"

But she was already sitting down. "See, Edward? I told you she would be fine." She turned back to me. "I knew I would get to meet you today. I have premonitions."

I nodded in understanding. "I know."

"Of course you do. I knew you'd understand."

Alice seemed to know everything I was about to say before I actually said it. It would almost be annoying if she wasn't so friendly and likable.

"How do they work?" I wondered, curious. "I get them too, but the only ones I've had were triggered by you. My aunts say you can control them easier with practice, but they mostly only happen to witches if something important is coming that they should know about."

Alice smiled, happy to answer my inquiry. "I can see easily enough if I'm looking for something specific. The weather is simple—I'd never been wrong about that until a couple of days ago," she gave me a pointed look, "Although I'm told that was your fault." She looked like she'd never been so happy to be wrong. "People are different though. It's easier the more I know someone or if they're of my kind rather than human. But the future is always subjective. Things change with decisions."

I thought of the vision that both of my aunts had had about Edward and me. Despite the future being so fickle, that had been clear from the very beginning. It made me feel better about my life choices. I wondered if what they saw had already come to pass.

"How much have you told them about me?" I asked Edward. It would probably be best if I found out what the other Cullens knew before I either bored them with double explanations or scared them.

Edward shrugged. "I told them you were a witch and you could do… things."

"That's it?"

"That's it," he agreed. "I thought it was best if you explained it."

"So they really have no idea?"

"I have some idea," Alice pointed out. "I've seen things. The others know you're different than most humans."

"Of course I'm different than humans. I'm technically not one," I laughed, looking at the three Cullens left at their table. Jasper was tense and watching us like a hawk; Edward had mentioned he was very protective of Alice. Emmett was watching also, though he mostly just seemed curious. Rosalie was the only one making a point of ignoring me. "Edward had the audacity to tell me that witches weren't real when I first told him. I had to remind him that _he_ wasn't supposed to be real either."

"Edward has always had trouble with acceptance," she teased, earning a glare from her brother.

"Gee, I hadn't noticed," I grumbled sarcastically.

"This was a mistake," Edward moaned, running a hand through his already tousled hair.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I'll behave," Alice promised.

"I'll make no such promises, but you should continue with your story anyway." I didn't bother catching Alice up. Edward's family had obviously already been listening to our conversation. "If you were born in 1899 when did you, you know…?" I wasn't exactly sure of the terminology, although Edward had told me that vampires were all technically dead.

"Carlisle found me in a hospital in the summer of 1918. I was nineteen and dying of Spanish influenza. My parents had already died from the disease. I was alone. That's why he chose me; no one would ever realize I was gone in the chaos of the epidemic."

The playfulness of the mood had dissipated, at least on my side. I didn't like thinking about Edward dying, suffering even, in a global pandemic. The fact that he was sitting right in front of me did little to comfort my imagination.

"I don't remember it well," he offered quickly, noticing my distress. It was a long time ago, and our human memories fade after the change."

Alice nodded in agreement. "I don't remember anything about my human life."

"Really? Nothing at all? Is that usual for one of you?"

She shook her head. "No, most everyone I've encountered remembers enough of their human life to piece things together." She frowned, thinking very hard. "I woke up alone. If I hadn't been gifted and seen my future with Jasper and then Carlisle, I don't know what would have happened to me."

"I'm assuming this vegetarian lifestyle isn't very common, then," I noted.

Edward shook his head. "I've already told you about our friends in Denali, and they are the only other ones we've met. Those that feed on humans are apt to be nomadic."

"We vegetarians tend to stick together," Alice winked.

I looked over at the other Cullens again, immediately catching eyes with Jasper. He was still watching me cautiously. It was obvious he didn't trust me, and I didn't really blame him. It probably didn't help that our only interaction had been me threatening him.

"I'll be right back," I muttered to Edward and Alice, getting up from my table.

Edward moved to get up with me, but Alice placed a hand on his arm. It didn't look it, but I could tell she was using a lot of her strength to hold him back. "She'll be fine," she assured him, smiling at me encouragingly.

I made my way over to the other Cullens, taking a seat at their table. I could feel the hostility radiating off of Rosalie. She was incredibly hard to ignore since everything about her screamed for attention. It made my heart beat faster, which was incredibly unhelpful in this situation. Emmett and Jasper, however, didn't seem hostile. I took it as a good sign.

"Hi," I offered, looking Jasper straight in his bright topaz eyes. I wasn't really sure where to start. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

"Then don't," Rosalie mumbled just loud enough for me to hear.

I pretended like I hadn't heard her. "I just wanted to apologize for threatening you before. Edward mentioned he told you I was a witch, and I'm sure you sense something off about me. You see, he and Alice had been triggering bits of my magic that I'm still learning control. That time in the cafeteria… you ended up doing the same thing. Your emotions are a lot more potent than I'm used to. It freaked me out, and I panicked. I would never have actually done anything to harm you or your family. So… sorry."

Jasper didn't say anything for a moment, although he seemed unsurprised by my apology. I had a feeling Alice had warned him beforehand. "Thank you. I apologize for almost attacking you." His words were soft and drawn out with the slightest hints of a southern accent.

I was suddenly curious about Jasper's story but decided not to push my luck. I nodded, feeling a little bit better now. There was still wariness in his eyes, but I wasn't sensing anything from him too terribly negative from him. Instead of a red flag, I was merely yellow. That didn't mean I wanted to overstay my welcome though. "Thanks. I appreciate it." I returned to my table as fast as I could without being obvious about wanting to escape from under Rosalie's glare.

"That was very big of you," Edward said giving me a fond smile.

I shrugged. "He still doesn't trust me, but he feels better than he did before."

Alice let out a peal of tinkling laughter. "He'll come around soon enough. All of them will. Actually," she began, glancing at Edward, "why don't you come over on Sunday?"

I looked at her, taken aback. "What?"

"Edward mentioned he was going to your home on Saturday. I think you should come over to ours on Sunday. It's only fair."

It took all of my self-control to not look and see what the other Cullens had thought about this invitation. I did look to Edward, however. He was watching me intently as if the invitation would scare me away. He didn't protest, though. He wanted me to accept.

"If you're sure it's all right… I'd love to."

Alice beamed at me. "Perfect! Dress casually… I think it's supposed to storm that day. We can show her how we play ball."

This brought a grin to Edward's face. I wasn't sure exactly what playing ball entailed to a family of supernatural creatures, but it was sure to be entertaining. I hoped they didn't expect me to participate, though. I had been serious when I told Edward I didn't like running.

The bell rang then, signaling the end of lunch. I looked down at my half-eaten pizza, annoyed that the lunch period was so short.

"I'll see you on Sunday, Emme!" Alice chimed, before heading off with Jasper.

Edward threw away our tray as I gathered my things. He gently took them out of my hands as we began our walk towards Building 2.

We ended up filling out Punnett square worksheets in Biology. After finishing the video the day before, Mr. Banner had started a lecture on genetics. This was something I had already done. My mother told me once that she thought how much magic you could access was a genetic trait. She had told me that everyone had a little bit of magic in them, but the ability to pass it down was something you inherited. It would help explain why some witches had more than others. It would also explain why the Wildes were all Septes; they had had generations of magic to practice with.

Edward had finished his worksheet too, unsurprisingly. "You look like you're thinking very intently about something."

I glanced around. We were the only pair that had finished, but just because the other students were distracted didn't mean that they couldn't hear us. "I was just thinking about my mom. And some other things that I can't exactly talk about here."

He nodded in understanding, letting the subject drop. "Tell me about Salem."

"Surely you've heard about it before," I told him, though the mention of my hometown had brought a small smile to my face.

Edward's eyes softened. "You miss it," he noted.

"Of course. I'd never lived anywhere else before this." I had already told Edward about the circumstances that led to my arrival in Forks and everything I knew about my family. I supposed the information wasn't enough. "What do you want to know?"

"What was your favorite part?"

My answer was immediate. "Halloween. It was already my favorite holiday, but in Salem, it lasts months. For everyone, not just the witches. The atmosphere was something I can't even begin to explain. And my friends and I had some of the best hang out spots."

"What do you mean?"

"The Council took it upon themselves to become influential members of the human community," I told him, whispering the word 'human' so that only he would hear. "They managed or owned a lot of the tourist locations in Salem. The Corwin House, the Old Burial Point, the Turner House—most know it as the House of Seven Gables—I had access to it all. We all did. It was so funny to me that the entire economy of Salem depended on people pretending to be witches while the real ones ran all of it. I lived on Chestnut Street in a beautiful old brick house. I was in the middle of it all. I wish I could describe it better."

"You describe it beautifully," Edward promised. "I'd like to see it one day."

His enthusiastic response was enough to make me want to continue, but Mr. Banner interrupted us to wrap up the lesson.

Edward walked me to Gym, though I was sure I was scowling the entire time. "You weren't joking when you said you didn't like running, were you?" he smirked, tone playful.

"Absolutely not. I'm not really a sporty person—especially if it involves teammates." I saw the curious look on his face. "I don't like having to depend on other people. It doesn't take a genius to realize that not having parents has given me trust issues… although you do seem to be the exception."

I don't think Edward expected me to be quite so frank with him, though I was thankful to not feel any pity coming from his direction. Instead, the air between us became thick with unspoken words. His expression was conflicted, but so striking that I had to restrain myself from reaching out to touch him.

Edward didn't seem to have such reservations, however. He raised his hand, brushing my cheek gently. His hand was icy, but his fingers left a trail of fire on my skin that tingled like magic. "I'll see you after class."

I tried to compose myself before walking into the gym. It was completely unfair how Edward could affect me like that. It was easier to bring my mind back to Earth after I was handed a racquet, however—tennis this time, instead of badminton.

"Do you want to be on my team?" Mike Newton asked, jogging up to me.

I shrugged. "Sure."

For the most part, Mike and I made a pretty good team. I had to actually remind myself not to use magic to ensure our win over the other pairs in our class. A little bit of competitiveness in life was a good thing, but Gym didn't matter enough for me to get so involved in it. I should save my energy for something actually worth caring about, like learning magic or saving Mary Brandon.

When the period was over, I found Mike waiting for me outside of the locker rooms.

"Thanks for playing with me today," I offered good-naturedly.

"Any time, Emme." The boy was silent for a moment before adding hesitantly, "So you and Cullen, huh?" His tone did nothing to hide his displeasure.

"I don't see how that's any of your business, Mike," I told frostily.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "People have been talking. And I don't like it."

"Well that makes two of us," I grumbled under my breath. "It doesn't matter what you like. My relationship with Edward is between the two of us, not the students of Forks High. I appreciate your concern, Mike, but it's really not needed."

"It's just—"

I interrupted him, hoping to bring an end to the conversation. "Mike, really. I can handle myself. I'll see you tomorrow." I had to leave before I said something that I would regret. Mike was usually really easy to like, but he was also really easy to dislike sometimes.

Edward found me almost immediately after the encounter. "Mike Newton is beginning to get on nerves," he muttered darkly.

I sighed. "I thought he was already on your nerves."

"More so than usual," he amended. "He absolutely loathes me."

I scoffed. "I'm sure most of the males in school do for one reason or another. Aren't you used to it by now?"

Edward smiled at me crookedly, eyes mischievous. "You know, in all my years, I'd read about jealousy and seen it. I had no idea it would be such a potent emotion, and I certainly wouldn't have guessed that it would have been brought about by a teenage boy."

I rolled my eyes. "You have nothing to be jealous over, Edward."

He said nothing until we reached my car. "I do wonder though…" he began, looking off into the distance as if he was thinking very deeply about something.

"Wonder what?" I pressed.

"I wonder if you would be better off with someone like him… someone who poses no threats to you."

"We've been over this," I said, exasperated.

"My faith in myself isn't the same as my faith in others like me."

"Ah." He had a point. His family was one thing, but strangers were something else entirely. It still didn't bother me though. Vampires would have been in my life one way or another. "You forget my father was murdered by your kind, Edward. I would have been brought into your world sooner or later. I, for one, am thankful that you're with me for it."

Edward seemed to agree with that. "I'll see you tomorrow, Emme."

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his neck. I had a moment to register Edward's solid form tense beneath mine.

"I'm sorry," I blanched, releasing him immediately.

His expression was unreadable.

I didn't know if I had made things unintentionally difficult for him or if I had just surprised him. Either way, the best move was probably for me to give him some space.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Edward." I quickly got into the Infiniti and drove home.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Hope you all enjoyed that nice little filler full of normalcy before shit hits the fan... it's about to go down. Thanks again for the faves/follows/reviews, and the follows on this story's Tumblr (devils-playground). I put stuff on that blog that follows each chapter, so if you're on it **absolutely **read into things._

_Until next time!_


	14. Chapter 13: Breakthrough

When I woke the next morning, I practically threw myself out of bed. I completed my morning routine as quickly as possible, dressing in black jeans and an olive green Henley. I was eager, to say the least.

My aunts had told me to stay home from school this morning. They had used too much magic yesterday to help me try to conjure Mary Brandon's earrings after school, but today they promised to help me try. They didn't seem to be as eager as I was, however. Neither one of them was awake before eleven; my early morning rush had been for nothing. I spent the time flipping through the Grimoire in the library until they were ready. Finally, around noon, my aunts called me to the library.

"So normally we'd have you walk us through this and do it yourself, but considering how little information you're working with, we're going to help," Blair assured me.

I had practiced conjuring things from one room to the other in training before. It was really too much of a hassle to conjure such short distances unless you were practicing. It was much more practical to conjure things from far away. I had managed to conjure a textbook that I had accidentally left at school once. But this cemetery that the demon told me about could have been across the world for all I knew. The farther the distance, the more magic you needed. Thankfully, two Septes and a Feor should have no problem summoning something so small from anywhere in the world.

Summoning an object was similar to summoning a spirit. You had to make a circle—drawn instead of with crystals this time—as big or small as you needed. Our circle was fairly small since all I wanted was a pair of earrings. Most witches didn't need a sigil, but we added the old rune for finding a lost item in the middle of our circle to make it stronger. We were already working with very little information.

On a small piece of paper, I wrote down the information I knew about the earrings. I didn't know exactly how old they were, but they were probably vintage if, if not antiques. They were in the Lawrence family mausoleum in the Old French Cemetery. They belonged to Mary Brandon's mother before they passed to her. They were stolen from Mary. Carefully, I folded the paper and set it in the middle of the circle on the sigil.

My aunts and I took our places, sitting around the circle.

"Ready?" Isolde asked.

Blair and I both nodded.

The three of us held our hands out, palms facing up, fingers spread apart. Forcing our magic into the circle allowed for easier travel between places. Focusing, I willed the paper to burst into flame. To my excitement, it did. I shouldn't have worried given my history for accidentally burning things.

We watched the paper burn slowly, waiting.

My aunts weren't distracted at all like I was. Their magic was constant, thick and shimmering in the circle. Mine was coming out in bursts as I focused on burning the paper without letting the fire spread or die out.

Finally, as the last bit of the paper was reduced to ash, I said the words. "_Ego quaerere quid scriptum est. Et vocavi eum ad me_."

As I finished the words, there was a bright flash of flames that quickly dissipated. The ash from the piece of paper that I had burned was gone.

In its place was a pair of beautiful pearl earrings. I could tell they were old by the style of them. Diamonds flared out by the post before dropping down. At the bottom of the dangle were large, natural pearls, slightly yellowed with age. They looked like they would have been very expensive for their time, and would be even more so now.

I dropped my hands onto my lap. "Now what?" I was still disbelieving that it had actually worked.

"You can try scrying," Blair offered. "Sometimes a personal item is enough to find someone you don't know."

I gently grabbed the earrings before jumping up. "Good idea. I'll let you know what I find out," I yelled, sprinting out of the room and back up the stairs.

I stood in front of the mirror, just as I had before. This time, I held the earrings out in front of me. Thinking Mary's name clearly, I whispered, "_Revelare_."

My reflection faded, though unlike last time, another image replaced it. I couldn't tell what it was, though. The entire mirror was filled with shadows and dark wisps that I couldn't quite make out. For all I knew, I wasn't even looking at a person. "_Finite_," I growled, frustrated.

The scry had worked, but either there was more than one Mary Brandon that had owned these earrings… or Mary had magic. It was quite possible that Mary was also a witch because witches couldn't scry on others with magic.

I groaned, throwing myself onto my bed.

Despite being frustrated that they had led me to another dead end, I examined the earrings. They really were quite beautiful. Pearls were never my favorite. The sheen of a pearl never held my fascination as much as the sparkle of a precious stone. Still, there was a subtly about pearls that could be admired. These ones were balanced nicely with the diamonds. I'd never seen anything like them, not that I had seen a lot of expensive jewelry before.

I flipped them over, to look at the screw backs when I noticed something right under the post. In small, capital letters, 'PE NO CO' had been stamped into the metal. A maker's mark.

For the second time that day, I leaped out of bed. I hastily shoved my feet into my boots and pulled on a jacket, shoving the earrings deep into a pocket before practically flying down the stairs. It was still early in the day; school hadn't even let out yet. If I left now, I could be at Port Angeles in an hour and still have at least three hours at the library before it closed.

Seeing Aunt Blair at the front door talking to someone made me halt in my tracks, however.

"She's right here. Why don't you come in? Emme, you have a visitor." Blair opened the door wider to allow Edward to walk through it.

"Perfect timing, Edward. Let's go." Before he could take one step into the house, I grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards his Volvo parked on the road. "Bye, Blair!" I called over my shoulder.

Edward allowed me to pull him quite easily; although to say he was stronger than me would be an understatement. He didn't open the passenger door for me like he usually did when we reached his car, however. Instead, he gently cupped my chin, bringing my eyes to his. "Emme, are you all right?" he asked, his gaze filled with concern.

"Of course," I answered, confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He looked at me incredulously. "You weren't at school today, and we didn't exactly part on the best of terms yesterday. I thought…"

To be completely honest, in the excitement of the previous hours, I had forgotten about the fact that I had quite literally thrown myself at him the previous day. "Oh. That." I chuckled awkwardly, running my free hand through my hair. It was a nervous habit. "I really am sorry about that, Edward."

"You have nothing to apologize for," he assured me.

"I obviously did _something_ wrong to make you freeze like that."

"I just wasn't expecting you to be so close. It was the surprise more than anything else, see?" To prove his point, Edward brought my free hand to his mouth, placing his cool lips on my knuckles. Then, he brought my hand to his cheek, pressing it against his face. This time, it was my turn to freeze.

I actually had to remind myself to breathe again. And then I remembered the reason I had been in a rush in the first place. I shook myself out of my trance.

I grinned, still lightly dazzled, at Edward. "Okay, surprises are bad. Consider it noted. I'll have to cancel that birthday party I was planning…"

He looked at me, exasperated. "You don't even know when my birthday is," Edward pointed out.

"You can tell me on the way," I hinted, pulling open the car door and climbing in.

Edward was starting the car from the driver's seat before I could even pull the door shut. "It's June 20th, by the way." He flashed his crooked smile at me.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a Gemini. Although I suppose it does explain the multiple personalities," I mused.

"The zodiac is hardly scientific, Emme. And I don't have multiple personalities."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll give you that. The zodiac isn't scientific, but it doesn't mean the stars you were born under can't tell you about yourself. And while you might not technically have multiple personalities, it sure seemed like you did when we first met."

Edward sighed in defeat. He knew I was right on both accounts, and while I had only been teasing him, he still felt a little bit bad about ignoring me for months. "Where are we going?"

"The library in Port Angeles. I have some research I need to do… it's kind of a long story."

Edward began to drive away from my house and towards the highway. "We have time."

He had a point. "Remember how I told you about invocation before?"

He furrowed his brow, recalling what I had told him earlier this week. "Witches can summon spirits?"

"There are a few other aspects to it, but that's the part you need to know. Anyways, I tested for Feor a little while ago, and I ended up summoning a demon."

Edward's expression was staggered and somewhat panicked. "A demon?"

"It's not what you're thinking. Demons aren't evil beings from hell or whatever else. A demon is just someone with magic that has passed on. In this case, it was a warlock. Anyways, he said he'd been trying to get through to someone that could help him for a while, which was odd but not unheard of. He told me he died trying to protect this girl, Mary Brandon, and whoever had attacked her was after her again."

"You're trying to find her," he said, comprehension dawning across his face.

"Of course. I'm not going to just leave her to die."

"Are you sure that's something you should be involved in, Emme? If this girl's attackers killed a warlock, they're dangerous." His eyes found mine as he grabbed my hand that was closest to him.

"The thought had crossed my mind," I admitted. "I figured I would cross that bridge when I got there. I have to find this girl before I can think about anything else."

Edward's fingers laced between my own. His hands were icy and soft as usual, though his grip was immovable. It was such an odd feeling for him to be so cold yet bring such a fire to my skin. "You should have told me sooner. I could have helped."

"I didn't really want to drag you into it just when your family was starting to warm up to me. What would they think if I got you involved in something like this and it ended up exposing you? Or worse, you got hurt?" I didn't want Edward trying to fight any battles for me. He was my soulmate; I wouldn't be able to live with myself—or live at all, probably—if something happened to him that I could have prevented.

"So you're worried about the trouble it might cause my family and me if you a crazed warlock comes after you and I involve myself?" His voice was sarcastic and disapproving all at once. "It's bad enough that you seem to be some sort of magnet for danger, but now you are actually inviting it into your life _and_ refusing to let me help."

"I'm letting you help me research," I pointed out.

He scoffed. "You're a fool if you think I'll let you do this alone, Emme."

I sighed. If the situations were reversed, I'd insist on involving myself in his affairs as well. I really couldn't protest. It was the bond between us as soulmates. He'd never face danger again without me by my side. "You're right."

"Do you have anything else besides her name?"

"The demon told me where to find a pair of earrings that were stolen from her. My aunts and I managed to summon them today—that's why I skipped school. I know they came from a cemetery, but I only have the name of it. And I have a maker's mark on the earrings… I don't know much about antiques, but even I can tell these are old. If I can find out where she lived, then maybe I can find out what happened and where she went."

Edward seemed thoughtful. "And there's no magical way to do that?"

"I tried using the earrings to scry for her, but I only saw shadows. She's definitely alive, but she's probably a witch since scrying doesn't work on witches."

We arrived at the library faster than I had thought we would. I should have remembered that I wouldn't have to worry about hurrying if Edward was driving. I normally would have teased him about his reckless speeds, but today I only had thoughts of the mystery that had landed in my lap.

We managed to find ourselves a couple of computers in a secluded corner away from the few people that were actually there.

"What do you think?" I questioned. "Divide and conquer?"

Edward agreed with a curt nod, and then asked, "Do you have the earrings with you? Perhaps I would have more luck with those."

I fished the earrings out of my pocket before going ahead and taking my jacket off, hanging it on the back of my chair. I handed them to Edward.

He examined them thoroughly as his computer turned on. "You're right. These are old. From the late 1910s or early 1920s, I think."

I gave him a pointed look. "Well, you would be the expert on that."

Edward's lips twitched upwards in amusement, but his focus was already on the computer. His hands were flying over the keys faster than I could fathom as he began his search. I began to feel hopeful that we would find this girl before it was too late for her.

We worked in relative silence other than a comment here or there. Edward pulled a couple of books for me any time I needed them, but the computer was more helpful to my search. The Port Angeles Library didn't have many books about cemeteries, let alone ones that were out of the state.

With thirty minutes left until the library closed, I sighed, standing up to stretch.

"Have you found anything?" Edward inquired, turning to me from his own computer.

"I've managed to narrow it down to five cemeteries that went by "Old French Cemetery" at one point or another in North America: Letart Falls, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Harrison County, Mississippi; Sullivan County, Indiana; and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. I've been trying to narrow it down, but all of those places have had someone named Mary Brandon that's lived there at one point or another. Have you found anything?"

"I think so," he muttered, writing something down on a spare piece of paper. "'PE NO CO' stands for Pearl Novelties Company. It was owned by a Mr. Lowrey but the article I found says he bought it from a man in Mississippi during the Great Depression."

I perked up immediately. "Mississippi! Does it say where?"

Edward stood up, looking at me with a triumphant grin on his face. "Harrison County."

I let out a squeal of excitement. "That has to be it! The Brandons must have lived there. I need to—"

Edward, who had been laughing at my obvious elation at our breakthrough, interrupted me. "You need to get home and eat something, maybe sleep. I know you rarely do that as it is," he quipped. Clearly, he could sense me about to protest because he quickly added, "I'll make a couple of calls. My family has… connections. I'll have information about Mary for you tomorrow morning, I promise."

I stared at him, slightly impressed. "What sort of connections?"

"You don't think we use our real birth certificates as identification, do you?"

I laughed at the thought of Edward presenting the birth certificate that declared him to be 105 years old to the DMV while helping him gather our belongings. "Fair enough. Witches don't need connections. We can glamour." After putting the few books we had used on the return cart, we headed out into the misty evening. It had gotten dark while we were inside. I didn't realize it before, but I actually was quite hungry.

"Glamour?"

"It's a type of spell casting. Witches can make illusions that look and seem as real to an observer. So if I were with you, you really could use your real birth certificate and I would glamour it to look like it wasn't as ancient as you are." I smirked to show him that I didn't actually think he was ancient.

I needn't have worried. Edward must have enjoyed my sense of humor. He chuckled good-naturedly at my teasing. "I once met a vampire that could do something like that," he mentioned after a moment.

"Well I'm terrible at spell casting, so if he or she is ever in town, let me know. I'd love to look them in the eye."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't meet any more vampires, personally. But I'll consider it if the opportunity arises."

We made it back to Forks in record time, though I'm sure it wasn't a record for Edward. I was beginning to appreciate the speed at which he could travel. I certainly didn't feel confident breaking 90 mph, but he had no issues with it. I felt safer with him driving incredibly fast than I felt driving myself the speed limit.

"Would you like to stop for dinner before I take you home?"

"The diner?" I asked. I had been a few times with my friends. It was the only restaurant in Forks, but it was actually pretty delicious. Technically, it was called The Lodge, but everyone tended to call it the diner instead.

"Where else?" Edward replied, amused.

I nodded my agreement, and before long, we were pulling off the highway into the gravel parking lot. When we walked in, I noticed the place was entirely empty except for two tables. Charlie Swan, the police chief of Forks sat at one, reading a newspaper with an empty plate in front of him. He didn't even look up at us as we walked by him. Only after Edward had slid into the booth did I notice who was at the table across the diner. We made eye contact before I could sit down.

"Emme?" he called, dark brows furrowed as if he wasn't quite sure it was me.

"Jacob!" I smiled, happy to see the younger boy. "I'll be right back," I told Edward, then rushed over to Jacob's table. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

He shrugged. "When you want pie, you want pie. And we wanted pie." Jacob gestured to his friends sitting across the table from him. All three of them had an entire pie—not just a slice—sitting in front of them.

"Hi, I'm Emme," I said, introducing myself.

One of the boys I recognized from the beach, but the other was unfamiliar. They both looked to be about Jacob's age and were slightly lanky with youth.

"Embry," grinned the one I recognized. His hair, like Jacob's, was glossy and black. It wasn't quite as long as his, however, only coming down to about his shoulders.

The one I didn't recognize stuck out his hand, and I took it. His hair was also dark, though it was short and shaggy. It made him look endearing. "I'm Quil. Jacob's told us a lot about you," he teased.

I raised my brows, glancing at Jacob, who had turned red and tried not so subtly to kick Quil under the table. I pretended not to notice either. "None of its true, I swear," I sniggered with a wink. It was only then that I noticed extreme unease coming from Edward. I glanced back at our table to see what was wrong.

Edward was sitting incredibly still, watching my exchange with Jacob intently. It reminded me of the way Jasper watched Alice when she had sat with us at lunch. His expression was unreadable. He didn't seem upset or angry, he just seemed on guard.

Jacob noticed who I was looking at. He sent Edward Cullen a genuine smile and a small wave before turning back to me. "Are you and your friends coming back to the beach anytime soon?"

"I'm not sure. No one has mentioned anything."

"You should," Embry muttered between bites of pie. "The weather's getting really nice for it."

He was right. Today had been much warmer than it had been, and it was about time. It was supposed to be the beginning of spring soon, but I probably shouldn't have expected anything else from the Pacific Northwest. "I'll talk to my friends and see what I can do. It was really nice bumping into you guys."

"Yeah, you too," Jacob replied. He meant it; he was just an authentic person.

"It was nice to meet you two," I told Quil and Embry.

"See ya around, Emme!" Quil called as I returned to my table.

I slid in the booth in front of Edward, my back to Jacob and his friends.

Edward's expression was still tense and unreadable. I wanted to know what was going on.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

My words seemed to shake him out of his stupor. "A complication," he replied glumly as if that explained anything.

"Are you talking about the whole treaty with the Quileutes that also happen to have magic thing?"

Edward stared at me, stunned. "How do you know about that?"

I was interrupted by our server, Cora, coming over to introduce herself and take our order. I ordered a soda, a burger, and fries. Edward ordered a soda as well to keep up appearances, but I knew I would probably be the one drinking it.

When she left, I could speak freely again, though I kept my voice down. "I met Jacob on the day of the beach trip. He drew my attention because I could sense the magic in him—in all of those boys, really. He told me a story that helped me figure out what you were without using any of my magical talents. It was pretty easy to put together after that."

"Jacob's father, in particular, loathes us. He's right to be wary. He hasn't seemed to pass that on to his son, though," Edward mused.

I shook my head. "No, he thinks it's all just a scary story meant to freak kids out. He'll be in for a rude awakening if he ever manages to harness that magic and shape-shift into a wolf, though."

Edward cracked a smile at the idea.

We ate quickly. I was eager for Edward to call his "connections." I hoped that he would have something for me by tomorrow. As he dropped me off at my aunts' house, he promised that he would be there first thing in the morning. We would drive to school together, for a change. I definitely didn't mind more time with him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Emme… hopefully with good news," Edward said as he opened the passenger door for me and helped me out of the car.

"I hope so, too." I turned to leave, but Edward stopped me.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards him. I landed against his chest softly, naturally. I felt his marble arms wrap around me before he leaned down placing his chin on the top of my head.

My heart rate immediately accelerated, and I felt Edward chuckle into my hair. I pulled back slowly. "It's really not fair, you know," I grumbled half-heartedly.

"What isn't?"

"The effect you have on me. I wish I could return the favor."

Edward fixed me with a stare that I couldn't quite read. "Trust me. You do plenty." He let me go, though I could see the reluctance in his eyes.

I immediately missed the feeling of his arms around me. "Would you like to come in?" I blurted without thinking.

Edward didn't seem as put off by the idea as I thought he would be. He glanced over my shoulder at the house behind me. "Your aunts?"

I laughed, remembering the last time he visited at night. "They'll know you're here, I'm sure. They won't mind though. Plus, you're actually invited this time so the wards won't go off."

He had the decency to at least look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I should have realized you'd known it was me. I apologize."

I brushed off his apology. "Curiosity is a powerful thing. No harm done."

"But to answer your question… yes, if you're sure it's all right."

"Promise me you'll still make that call. The house can be… distracting."

Edward's brow quirked upward in interest. "I promise," he agreed.

I took his hand and led him inside.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Wooo things have been set in motion! They are actually happening, and I hope you are as excited as I am! Next chapter should hopefully have more mystery-solving and Saturday's festivities, so it might be longer than usual. Also, I had a question about the pronunciation of Emme's name (Emmy vs. Em). Personally, I pronounce it Em, just like the letter, though I"m not going to hunt you down if you've been saying it the other way lol. It doesn't really matter either way!_

_Thanks again for your faves/follows/reviews! Until next time!_


	15. Chapter 14: The Dossier

I took Edward straight to my room, not stopping to show him around. It was getting late, and there would be time for that later.

He stopped at the door and looked around curiously.

"Do you need an invitation?" I asked jokingly.

He gave me a pointed look before shaking his head. "Myth."

"What is it then? Not what you expected?" I wondered, watching his expression.

He smiled at me. "It's actually almost exactly what I expected."

"I've never pictured your room," I mentioned, "though I imagine it to be filled with books and music. Maybe an instrument or two."

"That's not far off."

I grabbed my pajamas. "I'm going to go get ready for bed. Please don't touch the crystal on the windowsill. Or anything on the dresser. Or the mirror." I paused, scanning the room for additional hazards. My eyes found the Grimoire on my desk, a sigil on the wall, a half-empty potion bottle on the nightstand, and various other bits of magical objects that weren't necessarily dangerous, but could be to someone who didn't know what they were doing. "Actually, just don't touch anything. And I know you're curious, but just stay in here, okay? I don't know what my aunts have left laying around, and I don't want you cursed or something."

Edward waved a hand at me, laughing, before settling on my bed. "I'll be right here, behaving myself."

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously, but it was more for show than anything. After leaving him, I flew through my bedtime routine. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, and my aunts certainly wouldn't mind that he was here; they left me to my own devices unless magic was involved. But I didn't like having him so close but not being near him. The feeling reminded me of magnets. When he was far away, the pull was still there, but I didn't focus on it nearly as much as I was right now.

I returned to my room sporting hair wet, clean teeth, and dressed in an oversized black t-shirt with a hole in the shoulder and soft, purple cotton shorts. Not that you could really see that I had shorts on to begin with, seeing as my shirt came down almost to my knees.

Edward, thankfully, hadn't moved an inch from where I left him on my bed. His eyes appraised me, taking in the damp hair and the tattered shirt. He raised one eyebrow. "Nice." Edward's clothes were always perfectly tailored and immaculate. I had no doubt that if he'd had a need for pajamas they would be matching and silk in some dark neutral color.

I gave him an unamused look.

"No, really. It looks good on you."

I had thought he was teasing me. But his feelings were genuine. He actually thought I looked good dressed as some sort of soggy version of myself. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Thanks." I walked over to my bed, crawling over to him—close, but not too close. I didn't want to push any boundaries this evening.

Edward didn't have the same reservations as I did. He closed the gap between us, pulling me to his side before laying his cool cheek against my head.

It was very difficult, while he was touching me, to control my thoughts. It took me a minute of scattered concentration before I could say anything. "Why do you think it's easier for you to be around me than humans?"

Edward hummed into my damp hair as his fingers slowly traced my collarbone.

I froze, breath catching in my throat.

He pulled away almost immediately. "Did I do something wrong?"

I actually laughed at that. "The opposite, actually. You're driving me crazy… again, I'd like to point out how unfair it is."

"Really?" he asked, sounding pleased with himself. A triumphant smile lit his face.

I rolled my eyes. "Would you like a gold star for your accomplishment?"

Despite the sarcasm dripping from my voice, he grinned. "I'm just pleasantly surprised," he clarified. "In the last hundred years or so, I never imagined anything like this. I didn't believe I would ever find someone I was meant to be with… in another way than my family. And then I find, even though it's new to me, that I'm good at it… at being with you."

"You're good at pretty much everything, Edward."

Ever humble, Edward didn't protest.

"You never answered my question," I pointed out.

"I'm not entirely sure. I've thought about it before, even talking it over with Carlisle. He said it's probably because you aren't human. Whatever magic is in your blood is dilutes the smell and isn't as potent for us."

I turned the idea around in my head. It made sense, though it was a bit funny how a lot of aspects of both witchcraft and vampirism came back to blood. "I think I'd like to have a conversation with Carlisle one day. I bet we could shed some light on some things," I chuckled, half-serious, half-joking.

"I'm sure he would enjoy that," Edward smiled.

Another question made its way to the front of my mind, but I didn't exactly know how to bring it up without giving myself away. "You said something about how you didn't think you'd find someone you were 'meant to be with.' What do you mean by that?"

"Carlisle and Esme… my brothers and sisters… they all bound to each other. Vampires are different from humans in that we know exactly who we're meant to be with. It isn't as obvious as love at first sight, but it's a very strong pull. As if that person was made just for you. We call them mates."

He was talking about soulmates—the vampire version of it, anyway.

I hadn't thought about how it could be different for vampires than it was for witches. It begged the question of if he felt the same things I did. I knew he felt some sort of pull, he had told me so himself. But what if it was just because he found me mysterious and wanted to learn more?

Edward groaned. "I keep thinking it will get less frustrating, not hearing your thoughts. But it just gets worse and worse."

"I'm glad you can't read them," I stated. "You'd probably be horrified at some of the things that go on in here," I said, tapping my temple.

"I don't see how it could be that bad."

"I was just thinking… witches have something similar to what you were talking about. We call them soulmates. They're your other half. You're brought together because your bodies and souls complement each other so well, you become whole when you're with them."

"I suppose we leave off the 'soul' part as we don't have those," he mumbled bitterly.

I stared at him blankly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Creatures like us, damned to eternal night, can't have souls," he said as if it were an explanation.

I almost laughed, but then I saw Edward's face. It was clear by his tone and his expression that he clearly believed this, and I didn't want to offend him. I wasn't afraid to call out his foolishness, however. "Edward, everything has a soul. Even plants have souls. How do you think I was able to call that demon back from the other realms? It was his spirit, his essence—his _soul_. He could have been a vampire for all I knew. I assumed warlock since that's what I know best, but who knows?"

Edward was silent for a while, contemplating my words, but I wasn't finished.

"Do you really think you're damned?" I wondered, genuinely curious.

"I always thought…" he trailed off, still thinking.

"You're a creature of magic, Mr. Hobbes. Just like me. I'm not a human. Do you think I'm damned too?"

His response was immediate; he seemed appalled that I would even suggest such a thing. "Of course not."

I gave him a pointed look.

He shook his head as if clearing it. "I think you were right about that conversation with Carlisle, Miss Rousseau," he murmured, playfulness creeping back into his tone.

It was quiet between us for a long moment.

"Did you fall asleep?" Edward whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

"No."

"Is it my turn to ask the questions?"

My lips formed a smile. "You don't have to wait for a 'turn,' Edward. Ask me anything."

"Do all witches have soulmates?"

Anything except that.

I wasn't entirely sure when I was planning on telling Edward about the fact that he was mine—probably after we had spent more time together and I was sure our relationship wasn't just based on solving each other's mysteries. I knew that absolutely wasn't it, deep down, but something was still holding me back from explaining things to Edward. Being with me would most likely bring him nothing but trouble. He deserved someone like him that wouldn't make his life messier than it already was. I was afraid he would realize that. I was afraid of what would happen when he realized that.

"Not necessarily," I began slowly. "It's a complicated subject. Most witches think that everyone has a soulmate—even humans—but not everyone finds who they're meant to be with. Those that do are lucky. A lot of witches, like my aunts, don't see the point in marrying if they aren't with their soulmates, but others think that happiness is just as good as being in love. My parents weren't soulmates… their marriage was arranged by the High Council… but I'm told they loved each other. The one thing that's agreed on by all witches is that they can't have non-witch soulmates."

"You disagree," he noted, reading my facial expression.

I shrugged. "I had always accepted it until my mom met her boyfriend, Ash. She really seemed to love him, and he was human. I couldn't exactly compare it to the way my parents acted… I don't remember my dad. The only other person I had seen act like that had been one of the High Council warlocks that was married to his soulmate. It made me think that maybe they were wrong. Soulmates can be anyone, anywhere, and that's why they're so hard to find."

"Your way of thinking is lovely."

I snorted. "I wish I could say the same to you."

Edward chuckled, entertained despite my lighthearted harassment.

"Do all vampires find their mates?"

He shook his head. "My family is fortunate. If I had known this is what Carlisle had been trying to help me find, perhaps I would have been less difficult," he mused.

"What do you mean?"

"After Carlisle found Esme, he brought Rosalie to our family. I didn't realize until much later that he was hoping she would be to me what Esme was to him—he was careful with his thoughts around me." He rolled his eyes. "But she was never more than a sister. It was only two years later that she found Emmett."

I blinked, processing this new information. Rosalie, the most beautiful woman on the planet, was made to be with Edward. I couldn't imagine it; I didn't know Rosalie, but their temperaments seemed so different. Still, the thought was still enough to make me slightly jealous.

Edward continued, taking my chin into his hand and looking at me with the full force of his emotions. "For almost ninety years I've walked among my kind, and humankind… all the time thinking I was complete in myself, not realizing what I was seeking. And not finding anything, because you weren't alive yet."

I blinked again, this time staring straight into his eyes. He _knew_.

With that realization, all my fears and reservations melted away.

He smiled crookedly at me. "You didn't think that I couldn't feel it, too?"

"I don't know what I thought," I admitted.

"I wasn't sure until we began speaking about it. But it would seem that your theory of soulmates being anyone—or any_thing_, more specifically—would be true." I seemed almost giddy at the idea, which was much unexpected from what I knew of Edward.

"For someone who was just damning himself not five minutes ago, you seem much more optimistic than usual," I observed, settling back into his side.

"The glory of first love, and all that," he assured me with a wave of his hand. "It's incredible, isn't it? The difference between reading about something, seeing it, and experiencing it?"

He was right about that. "I'm not used to feeling so much raw emotion. And I certainly wasn't expecting my soulmate to be a _vampire_." I took a deep breath. "What do you think this means? For us, I mean. Our future?" I thought of my aunts' vision. Fate wanted us together, but it was possible that it would be impossible; we were so different.

"I don't exactly have much to compare it to. Obviously my family members are all married to their mates."

"So vampires get married?"

He laughed softly into my hair. "Of course. The same way humans do."

"It's sort of different for witches. A lot of normal… aspects… to a relationship are."

Edward gathered what I was alluding to. His body was suddenly very still. "Ah." He seemed to deliberate a moment before continuing. "I'm curious now, though. Have you ever…?"

I snorted. "No. My first boyfriend was a warlock, and I was too young to even consider it. I got my second boyfriend during my rebellious phase. Everyone told me it wouldn't work out between a witch and a human, but I was just so determined to prove them wrong. They were right, though. At least for me." I looked up at him before adding, "Turns out I've been waiting for a vampire instead."

He smiled softly down at me. "We have one thing in common, at least."

Both of my eyebrows shot up, incredulous. "You're 105!"

He wasn't offended by my shock. "You forget when I was raised."

I didn't know many details, but I knew the late 1910s were infamous for having strict rules about dating, especially when compared to today. "Does this mean you're courting me?" I giggled, finding the idea hilarious.

"If that's what you want, I'll have to go talk to your aunts first. Technically, I need your family's permission before we entered into a courtship," he informed me, chuckling at the idea of it as well. "And this," he said, gesturing at the pair of us in my bed together, "would certainly not be allowed."

"No courtship then," I decided. "Do you think, though, that one day we might…?"

Edward's tone was serious again. "I'm not sure. You may not be human, Emme, but you're still much more fragile than I am. I have to remember that every second I'm with you," he told me, trailing his fingers down my arm. "I can never, _never_ afford to lose any kind of control when we're together."

I thought for a moment. It sounded similarly as to why witches couldn't be with humans. But since Edward knew of magic already, there could possibly be ways around it. I wasn't about to bring it up before I knew, though. I would have to have an embarrassing conversation with my aunts, first.

The two of us stayed up entirely too late for a school night, though if anyone had asked me, my priorities were right where they needed to be.

"Are you tired?" he asked hours later.

"A little. Will you stay?"

"Always," he promised, pressing his lips to my hair once again.

I drifted to sleep in his cold arms.

* * *

When I woke, Edward was gone.

It took me a moment to push back the disappointment and realize that the lighting was strange. I glanced at the clock; it was basically noon. With the excitement of having Edward in my room, I had completely forgotten to set an alarm. I huffed, slightly annoyed that neither Edward nor my aunts had the decency to wake me.

Something on my desk caught my eye. Curiously, I got up to see what it was.

It was a plain yellow manila folder with a note sitting on top of it. I could tell immediately from the elegant script that it was from Edward.

_Emme,_

_I hope you aren't too cross with me for leaving this morning. I've received news from my contacts about Mary Brandon and left to get the information. After delivering it, Alice and I thought it was best that I return to school to keep up pretenses. She told me that you wouldn't be attending today—I'm sure you would have just been distracted anyways. Don't worry about missing anything. I'll settle your excuses for you… having your father as a doctor does have its benefits. Please stay safe, and call me if you need anything. I'll see you after school._

_Yours affectionately, _

_Edward_

I stifled a giggle. He was so obviously from a different time, I was shocked I hadn't realized it sooner. Still, I reread the note multiple times, heart fluttering when I read the closing salutation. I memorized the phone number he left at the bottom of the page.

I realized much too late that Edward's note had distracted me from the dossier it was sitting on. I eagerly grabbed it and went to look through it in the kitchen so I could find something to eat. My aunts were nowhere to be found—probably preparing for tomorrow's ceremony—so I was left to my own devices.

The first page of the dossier wasn't even about Mary. It was on the company Edward had discovered yesterday: Pearl Novelties Company. It was a company that was owned by a Mr. John Lowrey of New York City, but there were also copies of the bill of sale. It showed that during the Depression, Lowrey had bought the company from an Edgar John Brandon of Harrison County, Mississippi.

The next couple of pages were about Edgar. He was married to Anna-Marie, a younger girl from Chicago. The file included a wedding photo and an article announcing their marriage in the local newspaper. Their wedding photo brought a smile to my face. Anna-Marie's blonde hair was waved to perfection and a long strand of pearls draped her neck. It was very twenties, and I was a little bit envious. I was too curvy to pull off the "no waistline" look.

The couple had a daughter named Cynthia Brandon. She eventually married and changed her last name, but changed it back to Brandon after her husband disappeared shortly after Edgar sold off his business. Surprisingly enough, Cynthia was still alive; I quickly did the math in my head. That would make her 94 years old.

The next pages in the dossier detailed the Brandon family tree from then until the present. Cynthia had one daughter, Lilly Colter. Lilly's daughter, Mary Anne, married Walter Greene, and their son was named Brandon. This family did a good job of keeping family names from disappearing. I was lucky that they were easy to differentiate—families anytime before the sixties really tended to name everyone after each other. I had a branch of my own tree somewhere where every female was named Sarah. Thankfully, it wasn't my direct branch (despite my own mother being named Sara).

As fascinating as I thought genealogy was, none of this information helped me find Mary Brandon. She wasn't in their family tree anywhere. Had I been wrong? Maybe the last name between her and Edgar Brandon had been a coincidence.

I was about to flip to the next page when the realization hit me. Cynthia was born in 1910, which meant that she had been born _before_ Edgar and Anna-Marie had gotten married.

I reread Edgar and Anna-Marie's marriage announcement to double-check. The couple had gotten married in 1920 only a year after Anna-Marie had arrived in Mississippi. Anna-Marie wasn't Cynthia's mother. So who was? And how did Mary fit into it all?

I was beyond frustrated with the entire situation, but there were still papers at the very end of the folder to go through. They were all news articles about the various Brandon family members. Back in the day, they were prominent members of society, so they had been written about quite often.

After reading about an hour's worth of articles about Edgar's business, I finally came across a news article from _The Sun Herald_ that was published in 1919.

_**VICTIM OF AUTO ACCIDENT DIES**_

_**Mrs. Lillian Brandon, 37, Passes Away**_

_Mrs. Lillian Villeré Brandon, the wife of Edgar J. Brandon of 770 Jackson Street, was killed Sunday evening, June 27__th__. An automobile in which she was riding turned turtle near Keegan Bayou. She was pronounced dead on the scene at 6:15 pm by authorities. She was aged 37. It is believed that Mrs. Brandon was more seriously injured than her driver, who miraculously survived without injury._ _No one else was in the automobile during the time of the accident._

_Mrs. Brandon was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and spent her early years there in the Villeré household. She was married to Edgar J. Brandon 19 years ago and after her marriage came to this city to reside, and had since made her home here. Besides her husband, she leaves two daughters, Miss Mary Brandon and Miss Cynthia Brandon, all of this city._

_The funeral will be held at 2:30 Monday afternoon from the Brandon residence, 770 Jackson Street. Interment will be in the Old French Cemetery._

I read the article three more times before squealing in excitement. Finally, _finally_, I had found her. Mary Brandon wasn't a figment of my imagination. She was _real_.

My excitement was short-lived, however. The very next article was a small blurb about Mary's death in 1921. From there, the articles were all about the various family members, the most recent about the birth of Brandon Greene's daughter, Ashley in 1992.

I had to hand it to Edward's connections. They were incredibly thorough. Unfortunately, they weren't thorough enough.

I knew for a fact that Mary wasn't dead. I had seen the shadows in the mirror. She was alive, but she had magic. She must have decided to fake her death or something and try to move on with her life away from her remaining family. But that still didn't answer the question of where she went. None of the articles mentioned her again. It was like she had been erased from history.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. The papers from the dossier were scattered all over the kitchen table and the floor around it. I was too mentally exhausted to even begin thinking about picking them up.

Fortunately, there was a knock at the door to distract me.

I was happy to see Edward there waiting for me when I opened it. "Is school out already?" I thought aloud.

He grinned, amused at my confusion. "School has been out for thirty minutes, Emme. I took it upon myself to stay after and gather your missed work." He handed me a stack of papers and books.

"I should be grateful, I suppose," I muttered, taking the stack from him and heading back towards the kitchen. School had certainly not been a priority lately.

"I see you got the file I left for you," Edward told me, eyeing the mess that I had made. "I only glanced through it. Did you find out anything?"

I set the homework down on the counter before hopping up to sit on it. "Mary's father owned the company that you found, Pearl Novelties. He was married to a woman named Lillian, but she died in a car accident. They had another daughter, Cynthia, and their family line through her is still in Harrison County. Mary died a couple of years after her mother did."

Edward's brow furrowed. "She's dead?"

I ran my fingers through my hair. "She's not dead. When I tried scrying for her, it worked. I think she's a witch and faked her death somehow. It's been done before—my ancestor Sarah Averill did the same back during the Trials."

"The Salem Witch Trials?" he questioned, surprised.

"Remind me to tell you about my family tree one day," I smirked. "In the meantime, I'm at another dead end."

"If Mary Brandon isn't dead, then where is she?" he murmured.

I shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'll talk with my aunts and see if there's a way to get around the scrying thing. Whenever they reappear that is…" I said the last bit under my breath, but of course, Edward heard me clear as day.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"Preparing for tomorrow, I'm sure. Speaking of, you're still coming, correct?"

Edward was next to me before I could blink. He grabbed a lock of my long hair and began twirling it through his white fingers. "I wouldn't miss it."

"Then this would be a perfect time to go over some ground rules, I think," I told him, trying not to be distracted by his proximity. "Tomorrow is Ostara. It's a holiday for witches celebrating the end of winter, essentially. More importantly, though, it's one of two days of the year when we can use magic without repercussions."

"You mean it won't drain your energy?"

"Exactly."

"How?"

I smiled, thankful once again that he was curious instead of repulsed. "You'll see tomorrow. But I do need to warn you about a couple of things. It is incredibly rare for witches to let outsiders see this sort of ritual. Because you're my soulmate, you get to be there. But during the ritual—and I cannot stress this enough—no matter what you see, you _cannot_ interfere. You can't even speak. Understand?"

Edward nodded obediently. "I'm quite good at being unnoticeable."

I snorted at that. "You're the opposite of unnoticeable, Edward."

He narrowed his eyes at me playfully. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant. And I'm saying I will always be able to notice you."

His eyebrows rose, gold eyes gleaming. "Is that a challenge?"

"It wasn't, but if you have the need to try to prove yourself, by all means, you can try," I challenged, grinning. He might be able to go unnoticed through the forest while hunting or in the shadows during the daytime, but I'd always have a connection to him. "Anyways, the other thing I need to warn you about is that there is going to be blood involved. I don't want to make things harder for you than it needs to be, so I understand if you'd rather not be there for the ritual. I can always find you afterward."

Edward untangled his hand from my hair and took mine gently in his. He brought my hand to his lips. "I can handle it. You don't have to worry about me."

I smiled. Sure, Ostara was always fun, but this year was different.

I wasn't worried at all. I was eager.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Hi! I'm soooo sorry that it's been so long since my last update! I'm not dead, but it's not for lack of trying lol. I had to go in for emergency oral surgery to get my wisdom teeth removed and then later on that day I passed out and had to get 7 stitches on my chin, so I've been heavily medicated and recovering. I figured I'd have to redo anything I wrote while I was on drugs, so this story was briefly on pause. But I'm back now!_

_I really thought I could get to Ostara this chapter, but I ended up letting Edward come spend the night cause... romance. I had to do so much research for this chapter, and that took a while too. I actually created a family tree for the Brandon's, researched Victorian letter writing, housing in the South at the turn of the century, and found a real death announcement from 1919 to base that newspaper article off of. If anyone is interested in photos of some of these things, I will be putting them on the tumblr (devils-playground). Speaking of, I also put a fancast of characters for this story on there last week so go check that out too._

_I will try my best to have the next chapter out as soon as I can. Thanks for your support while I've been MIA!_

_Until next time!_


	16. Chapter 15: Ostara

_A/N:_

_Trigger warning: self-harm, lots of blood, mentions of animal death_

* * *

I was ready for the festivities—if you could really call them that—by 8:30 the next evening. Edward wasn't expected to arrive for another half hour, so I wandered downstairs to see what my aunts were up to.

When I entered the kitchen, I saw them throwing various items that we would need into a basket. They were dressed in matching white, floor-length dresses—a color I only saw them in on rare occasions.

I was dressed in a dusty lilac color myself. I couldn't bring myself to commit to a regular pastel; I was definitely a neutral and earth tone sort of girl. I wasn't normally a dress girl either, but sometimes it was nice to switch things up. There probably wouldn't be much opportunity for sundresses in the Pacific Northwest anyway.

"Do you need help with anything?"

"I think this is just about the last of it," Blair told me, surveying the kitchen for things she had missed.

Isolde flipped the lid of the basket shut before turning to me. "Is your Edward still coming?"

I nodded. "He'll be here any minute now. He's never late." I saw the look she was giving me and answered her next question before she asked it. "He promised he would stay out of the way until afterward. I even warned him about the blood. I trust him."

That seemed to be a good enough answer for both of them.

Blair picked up the heavy, black velvet cloaks off the counter and handed one to her sister and me. I draped the heavy thing around myself and fastened it, making sure that no color could be seen underneath. It was cumbersome; the thing felt like I was wearing a weighted blanket. There was too much fabric for my small frame. I felt like a small child playing dress-up in her mother's clothes.

Meanwhile, Blair and Isolde looked like they stepped right off of a movie set. It was beyond me how they managed to make a plain black cloak look glamorous.

"Are you planning on disappearing after the ceremony?" I asked them.

Blair grinned, looking like she was hiding something. "We have plans, yes."

I briefly wondered what they were, but thought the better of asking.

"You'll get your alone time with your _soulmate_, don't worry," Isolde smirked.

"I was just wondering," I grumbled, slightly embarrassed. "I'm going to try to scry for Mary again with the help of the extra magic," I mentioned after a moment, changing the subject.

Isolde looked at me, impressed. "That's actually a good idea. It might work if you do it right."

"By using blood, you mean."

The pair of them shrugged. "Potestas est sanguis." Blood is power.

"I'll go get the scrying bowl for you," Blair offered. "You wanted the Grimoire, too?"

"Yes, if that's all right."

Isolde waved a hand. "We have that old thing practically memorized by now. You can take it. Don't be too much of a show-off, though." The last bit was clearly sarcastic.

I had no doubt that she would like nothing more than for me to show off all the things a witch could be to Edward. I gave her a look.

The crystals on the windowsill glowed a soft purple light. Edward was here. I went to greet him in the foyer. He was dressed casually in perfectly tailored jeans and a light, slate blue sweater. It was a simple outfit, and yet he still managed to look as if he had walked off a runway and into my aunts' home. I wasn't used to seeing him in such a bright color, though I had to admit that it complemented his skin tone amazingly.

"I thought you said pastels?" he questioned, eying my dark robe.

I stuck my foot out the bottom of the robe, showing him a flash of the purple of my dress. "It's all part of the process, my dear. I'm glad you decided to participate," I told him, gesturing to his sweater. I had told him about the pastel theme for the evening last night before he left. He wasn't participating in the ritual, so it didn't really matter what he wore. Honestly, it didn't really matter what we wore either; at this point, it was just tradition. It was still nice that he was showing an active interest in something that had nothing to do with him simply because it involved me.

"I see your plus one is here," Isolde stated, coming around the corner with the basket on her arm. Blair trailed behind her, holding the Grimoire.

Edward, ever the respectful gentleman, gently took the basket from Isolde. "I can help with that. I'm Edward Cullen."

"Thank you, Edward. I'm Blair, and that's Isolde," Blair introduced. "We won't be offended if you can't tell us apart."

Edward's brow quirked as he glanced at me, amused that they didn't think he would be able to do something so simple, though he had the good grace not to say anything. I stifled a laugh.

"Are you both ready to go?" Blair asked, eyeing the two of us.

I nodded, lacing my fingers with Edward's. "Let's go."

We walked in relative silence through the woods to our destination. The trail wasn't much worn, as my aunts only used it on holidays. I could tell Edward had about a million questions, but he diligently held my hand and his tongue. He seemed to sense that now wasn't the time.

I was worried about what he would do after the ritual. It was one thing to accept magic; it was something else entirely to accept witchcraft. It could be unsettling, especially to those that grew up thinking the supernatural was evil. I hoped I'd done enough to persuade him otherwise. After about an hour, we arrived at our destination.

In the forest, my aunts had erected a small circle of six standing stones. The monoliths weren't that big, maybe only four feet tall or so. The circle wasn't very big either, only a fraction of the size of places like Stonehenge or Craigh na Dun, but it was perfect for the three of us. Most circles were built on plains so there was clear access to the skies above, but despite being in the middle of a forest, there were clear skies just overhead.

In the middle of the circle was a stone table. Aunt Blair took the basket from Edward before setting it on the table. Then, she began unpacking the food.

I took a seat on the ground, dragging Edward down with me. Blair handed Isolde and me our plates piled with food, though she didn't bother with Edward. I didn't know how far her knowledge of vampires went, but no matter which lore about them you believed, you knew they didn't eat food.

The feast had begun.

I took the first bite—a strawberry—and just like that, the silence was broken.

"I hate that part," Isolde muttered.

"Does anyone actually 'reflect?'" Blair wondered, echoing my previous thoughts.

I turned to Edward. "On the walk here, you're supposed to reflect on the events of the winter and look towards the beauty of spring and the rebirth of nature, etc. I don't think anyone does. I spent the walk here focusing on trying not to trip over my comically large cloak."

Edward grinned. "I don't doubt that."

"So, Edward," Isolde began after a moment. "My niece tells me you are a vampire."

I practically choked on my carrot. "Tactful."

Edward looked between me and my aunts, trying to gauge the best course of action. Being unable to read anyone's minds must be driving him crazy. "I am."

"And is it true you didn't know that our kind didn't exist until you met Emerine?" Blair chimed.

"I didn't. My family and I had a hard time trying to figure her out," he replied with a grin in my direction.

Isolde chuckled. "If you ever do, let us know what you find."

I sighed, exasperated and desperate to change the subject before they could go down that particular road. "I'm sure you have questions, Edward. Go ahead."

"What is this place?"

Blair smiled. "Do you like it? Isolde and I built it by ourselves. The stones were heavy for just two witches."

"It's where we do our ceremonies," I told Edward. "Witches have a lot of holidays… Ostara, Yule, All Hallow's Eve, Mabon… the list goes on. There are ceremonies for all of them, but they are more optional these days. Not that there are a lot of witches out there, but a lot of them don't have access to standing circles anymore—"

"That's what we call it," Isolde interrupted. "A standing circle. Like Stonehenge or Long Meg and Her Daughters."

Edward looked positively fascinated. "Are all standing circles built by witches?"

Blair winked. "That's one of our well-kept secrets."

"Did you also build the pyramids?" he asked rhetorically, and slightly incredulous.

My aunts were about to answer, but I interrupted. "Please, let's not get into that right now."

Isolde glanced at her pocket watch. "She's right. It's almost time to start."

"What are they used for?"

Blair answered this time. "Standing stones help harness the magic from the skies, moon, sun, and stars and tether them to the earth. There's magic in all things, and sometimes we like to move it around a bit. Today is one of two days of the year that, when we do that, we can harness the life energy of the world and use it to power our magic instead of our own life energy."

Edward was taking all of this information quite well. My head had been spinning when he first told me about vampires; I could barely form questions, let alone ask them. He, on the other hand, was taking everything with scrutiny as if it was something important he needed to commit to memory. "Ostara celebrates the end of winter and beginning of spring?" he clarified.

"Correct," Isolde nodded. "It's always on the spring equinox."

"It's why we're eating food of the Earth," Blair added, gesturing to our plates of fruits and vegetables.

Personally, it wasn't my favorite meal. I was very much an omnivore. "We're _real _vegetarians," I teased.

Edward let out a musical laugh.

I pushed back the flutter that I always felt when I made Edward smile. The four of us continued to chat about the mechanics of vampirism versus witchcraft for a few minutes, but as it neared midnight, Isolde gave me a significant look.

"For this next part, you'll need to stand outside of the standing stones," I told Edward. "You can still watch though," I assured him.

He nodded without complaint, his hair glinting redder than usual in the moonlight that was breaking form over the treetops. Edward helped me to pack up the food while my aunts began to unpack the rest of the items: three glass goblets, an athame, and a bottle of what I knew to be rabbit's blood. I was lucky that my aunts did that part when I wasn't around. Killing anything that was living had to be my least favorite part about being a witch, but I had learned to take the bad with the good over the last few months.

Finally, it was time for the ceremony.

Edward left the circle of stones, hovering behind me just out of my line of vision. I could still feel him though. My aunts and I took our place around the stone table, pulling our hoods up. The moon was almost directly overhead. When it was, it would mark the beginning of our six hours.

Isolde uncorked the bottle and poured equal amounts of the rabbit's blood into our glasses. "_Hoc relinquimus Ostara tenebris lux veris intrare brumae_."

Blair and I repeated her words as she finished pouring. "_Hoc relinquimus Ostara tenebris lux veris intrare brumae_."

The standing stones around us began to buzz with magic.

I held my hands out, palms up towards the sky, along with Isolde and Blair. Together, we began to speak. "_Dies in statera amet nobis caelorum. Et magicae in caelum faciet illis dominus vineae. Et magicae in caelum faciet illis dominus vineae._ _Et magicae in caelum faciet illis dominus vineae._"

After the third repetition, our palms began to fill with moonlight. I relaxed the tension in my hands as much as I could, reveling at the pure magic at my fingers. It made my entire body hum, much like when I was exposed to blood. This time though, it was a comforting instead of overwhelming. It was like this was how I was always meant to be.

Blair and Isolde flipped their hands, holding their palms over their glasses. I followed suit. We spoke together. "_Potestas est sanguis._"

The moonlight from our hands gently fell into the goblets, mixing with the blood and lighting it up from within to an ethereal and eerie bright red color. It cast an ominous-looking glow onto our faces. I picked mine up and brought it to my lips, drinking the entire concoction. It didn't taste like anything, which made it easier to swallow. I liked to think that it was barely even blood anymore.

I set the cup down shuddering as the feeling of the magic mixing with my blood and spread through my veins. I unbuttoned my cloak and let it fall to the ground behind me. The night was chilly on my bare shoulders, but I hardly noticed. There was one more step.

Aunt Isolde took the athame and swiftly sliced her left palm open before handing it to Blair who did the same thing without hesitation. Then, it was my turn. I held the black handle in my right hand. It was cold and surprisingly light. With a deep breath, I dragged the blade across my palm, trying not to wince. I only registered a faint stinging sensation. It was easy not to focus on it with the magic pulsing within me.

Blair, Isolde, and I raised our newly wounded left palms over our heads towards the sky once more, exposing our blood to the moonlight. It began to trickle down my arm.

The effect was almost immediate. My heart began to beat rapidly as if I had just finished sprinting. I closed my eyes, taking deep breathes. It was almost like I was having a panic attack, but I knew I wasn't. My feet lifted gently off the ground, and I felt myself rise slowly as the light of the moon further mixed with my exposed blood, my energy, my life. The tingle of magic spread through me, and suddenly, I was more alert than I had ever been on any normal night.

We uttered the last words in unison. "_Magicae est sanguis_."

I dropped two feet back the ground, landing lightly crouched on the balls of my feet. Despite this, I felt lighter than I had in a long time.

The feeling was incredible.

Now that I didn't have to focus so hard, my thoughts went to Edward. I turned, scanning the trees for him. True to his word, he was unmoving just outside the circle of standing stones. His gold eyes were on me, his expression unfathomable.

"Don't forget to scry, Emme," Blair called from somewhere in the woods behind me.

"And don't do anything stupid!" Isolde hollered after her. They were already gone.

It was silent between us for a moment. I didn't know exactly what he would think. When I first learned about the ritual, it had unnerved me a little bit. I had been to Ostara celebrations before, but I never got to participate since I wasn't a ranking witch. But after learning so much about witchcraft, it helped to have reasons for why we did the things we did. It was easier to accept.

With good things, there was always bad. The beauty of magic often accompanied the darkness of its parasitic tendencies.

Edward was truly seeing what all this meant. It wasn't a fun game or fairytale. Being a witch could be just as violent and dangerous as being a vampire. I didn't want him to fear me or hate me, but as I stood there staring at his blank face, I felt tears begin to well. I remembered Alice's quip from lunch the other day.

Edward has always had trouble with acceptance.

"Say something, please." I requested tentatively. I bit my lip, unnerved by his silence. I refused to cry, though hollowness in my chest was beginning to form. I felt like I was going to be ill.

He took a hesitant step towards me, unsure if he was allowed to enter the circle. When I didn't stop him, he was standing in front of me. His fair hand reached out, brushing lightly across my cheekbone. His golden eyes bore into mine. "Hear my soul speak: the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly to your service; there resides, to make me slave to it. I beyond all limit of what else in the world do love, prize, honor you."

I let out a choked breath that I didn't even know I was holding. _The Tempest._ It was my favorite of all Shakespeare's plays. I always thought it was silly of Miranda to immediately start crying at such an unexpected declaration of love, but as my tears finally welled over, it didn't seem so silly anymore. I hastily wiped them away, making some noise that was between a laugh and a sob. "I am a fool to weep at what I am glad of."

Edward's cold, marble lips pressed very softly against mine.

My heart was already racing, but that didn't stop my blood from boiling beneath my skin. My lips parted in a gasp. I hadn't been expecting him to kiss me; in all my thoughts about how he would feel about witchcraft, I never expected _this._ My reactions were instinctual. I brought my right hand up and knotted my fingers in his hair. Edward reacted in kind, clutching me to him as if he never wanted to let go. And I didn't want him to.

He only pulled away when we both noticed how windy it had suddenly gotten.

"Sorry," I muttered, willing the stillness of the night to return to normal.

Edward chuckled. "Don't be."

"A lot of my magic comes from my emotions, and right now I don't exactly have to worry about controlling them," I babbled, flustered from the kiss but excited by the thought of the magic inside me, waiting to be used.

His gaze found mine. Edward was still smiling, but there was a look in his eye that I couldn't quite place.

"What is it?"

"You're like me," he replied, shaking his head in disbelief. Edward grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing my knuckles. It was only then that I realized what he meant.

In the light of the moon, my skin shone like it was covered in millions of tiny crystals. I looked almost exactly like Edward did in the sunlight. I had seen it before, but I had never experienced it for myself since I'd never participated in a ritual this way.

"Do you think I'm a monster?"

"Never."

"Even after this?" I raised my left hand, blood trickling down towards my elbow.

He was silent for a moment. He took my hand once again and flipped it over, exposing my palm. Once again he brought my hand to his lips. This time, however, he kissed right beside the cut I had given myself. He was careful to avoid the blood. Edward's movements were fluid, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. Still, his meaning was clear.

"Doesn't that bother you?"

Edward released me, but his eyes found mine. "Mind over matter," he smiled crookedly.

I looked down at my palm. It was still bleeding freely. I closed my eyes, putting my now infinite energy into it. I felt the wound begin to close instantaneously. "Maybe that will help."

Edward's brows were raised; he looked impressed. "Can you always do that?"

I shook my head. "I can't heal myself on any normal day. Witches heal by transferring their energy into someone else. Since my energy is already mine, I can't heal myself without potions. I could give my energy to someone else to heal them though. The only reason I can do this today is that right now my energy isn't coming from me… if that makes sense at all…" The mechanics of witchcraft could be confusing. I knew this first hand; I was still learning, after all.

"I understand. I find it fascinating. I want to know more—actually," Edward tilted his head to the side in a very catlike motion, a challenge in his eyes. "Show me."

I made Edward leave with an hour left before dawn. Just enough time to scry for Mary Brandon.

He promised to be back around 3:00 pm so I had time to rest before going to meet his family. Still, it had taken everything I had to let him go without me, and judging by his behavior, he didn't want to leave me either. As if we didn't have enough of a pull between us already, the last five hours had changed our relationship entirely. We had truly seen and accepted each other for what we were—a vampire and a witch, a boy and a girl.

We'd spent our time as if we had an infinite amount of it—which, of course, he did, although I didn't mind pretending as if I had the same. I showed him what I could do with my powers: glamours, clairvoyance, telekinesis, transmutation, all of it. We'd poured over the Grimoire. I'd even managed some spell casting that I hadn't been very good at before this.

I'd never seen him so carefree. At school, Edward was always on guard—but here, he didn't have to worry about intruding on my thoughts or maintaining a human-like demeanor. We could be our true selves with each other.

Nevertheless, I refused to test his self-control around my blood, and this scry would involve quite a bit of it. It wasn't that I didn't trust Edward; I just didn't want to make things more difficult to him than they already were.

My aunts had taken our Ostara supplies home but left the gold scrying bowl and athame on the stone table in the middle of the standing stones. I could scry with water, but blood would be more powerful, and I was tired of dead ends. If I didn't get answers tonight, I never would.

Without hesitation, I picked up the athame and sliced down my inner forearm, holding it carefully over the bowl.

The blood gushed from my veins, down my fingertips, and into the bowl, twinkling just as my skin did. As it began to fill, I grew dizzy but pushed past it. I _would _see this through. I was so close, and I could feel that Mary was running out of time.

After the bowl was filled, I healed my arm. The blood loss made me slightly unsteady, but I knew that the magic of Ostara would replenish anything I had lost.

I fished the pearl earrings out of the pocket of my lilac dress, clutching them tightly in my right fist. I closed my eyes, leaning over the bowl. I thought about everything I knew about Mary Brandon, going over every last detail that I had learned. Taking a deep breath, I said the word. "_Revelare_."

I opened my eyes.

* * *

_A/N:_

_I hope you all enjoyed that HARD departure from the OG story... lol. I already have the next chapter halfway written because I was originally going to include the next part to make it all one thing, but it was getting way too long. Hopefully, it'll be up soon! It'll (kind of?) be a nice return to the source material instead of just the workings of my imagination haha._

_There's a pic of Emme's dress on the Tumblr if anyone was wondering about it, along with the song that I played on repeat while writing this chapter. This story now has over 100 followers, which doesn't seem like a lot but is insane to me so thank you all so so much for sticking around so long!_

_Until next time!_


	17. Chapter 16: Mary Brandon

At first, nothing happened.

Then, the blood began to ripple and twist into shimmering, clear images. The scry had worked, and it quickly pulled me under.

_A petite girl with short dark hair lay on a medical table, strapped down tightly by the leather restraints on her arms, thighs, and ankles. She tried to pull herself out of her restraints, but they held firm. "I'm not supposed to be here," she muttered desperately._

_A man walked into the room, tall and dressed in a crisp suit with a white lab coat over it. He held a clipboard and began flipping through it. "Mary Brandon? That's you isn't it?"_

_The girl glanced at him warily. "Yes, but—"_

_She was cut off by a woman in an old fashioned nurse's uniform injecting something into her arm. Mary winced, gasping from the prick. Tears sprang to her eyes, though it wasn't from the pain. She was frightened._

_This time, the nurse spoke. "There's something wrong with you. We're going to fix it." The woman placed an apparatus on Mary's head. A machine next to the table was switched on, and a buzzing noise filled the small room. After putting a rubber rod in Mary's mouth, the nurse looked to the doctor. He nodded. The nurse turned to the machine and pushed a button._

_Mary began convulsing uncontrollably. She sounded as if she were trying to scream, but couldn't._

_The image shifted to a little girl and her mother. The girl reached out and handed the elegantly dressed woman an umbrella._

_A man walked into the room, stern and severe. "There's not a cloud in the sky, Mary."_

_The girl shrugged. "It's gonna rain. I know it."_

_The woman looked at the girl fondly. "Well, you are always right."_

_I was seeing Mary again. She was sitting in a small, plain room, on a cot. She scribbled with shaking hands on a small scrap of paper. Mary looked over her shoulder at the door. The girl was mumbling to herself, repeating something I couldn't quite make out as if it were a mantra._

_Mary, her hair long this time, was standing in front of her father—the stern man from before. "I saw it! There was a man… he drove a Model T and he had a beard. He ran mother's buggy right off the road—on purpose. He made sure he'd killed her before he drove away. If I'd seen it just a little bit earlier, I could have saved her." Her voice broke. "I was too late. You have to believe me. Father! It wasn't an accident!"_

_Mary's father turned to his daughter abruptly. "Enough with your stories! Do you hear yourself? It's insane!" He stormed from the room._

_Mary was strapped to the medical table once more, hair short again. Her eyes were unfocused and glazed over. Her head fell to the side, and she made no effort to straighten it again. The piece of paper she had been writing on before was clutched tightly in her hand. This time, she didn't protest when the nurse placed the apparatus on her temples. After the button was pushed, Mary began to convulse. She dropped the paper._

_The scene changed. Mary was in her house, staring blankly as a blonde woman draped her long, pearl necklace around her father's neck and leaned in for a kiss. The woman was squealing in delight as people celebrated all around them. Only Mary remained unsmiling, watching from the side._

"_That's a lovely necklace," a little girl said, stepping up to the happy couple. "Was it a wedding gift?"_

_The blonde woman took a sip of her champagne. "No, your father gave this to me ages ago. Isn't it beautiful, Cynthia?"_

_Mary's brows puckered in confusion._

_Her father noticed her immediately. "Not ages ago, darling," he corrected, trying to hide the worry on his dark features._

"_Hmm?" The blonde woman looked at her new husband, perplexed, before noticing Mary. "Oh." She let out a nervous giggle._

_Mary shook her head and tried to leave, but her father followed her into the empty library._

"_Mary."_

_The girl whirled on him. "Was she planning this wedding before Mother was killed?"_

_Before the man could answer, Mary's eyes grew unfocused. Her grip on the chair next to her tightened, but her mind was not in the room. Her father watched through narrowed, suspicious eyes. After a moment, Mary gasped. She looked at her father terrified, before turning and running from her house. This time, she wasn't followed._

_The images altered once more, this time showing a long-haired Mary banging on a door, frantic. "Please! You need to help me! It was my father!" Tears fell down her cheeks, smearing her once-perfect make up._

_A well-dressed man came to the door and opened it._

_Mary looked relieved immediately. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself. "You need to help me. You need to arrest my father. He wants to kill me—" She stopped, noticing another man joining the first at the door. It was her father._

_Mary backed away slowly, her panic increasing._

"_See?" her father said sadly, shaking his head. "It's just as I was telling you. She's insane."_

_The doctor and the nurse came from behind her and grabbed Mary by the arms. She fought. "There's nothing wrong with me! He killed my mother! He did!"_

_Mr. Brandon stepped forward. "And how is it you know that?"_

_Mary didn't have an answer. The doctor and nurse dragged her away as her father watched with triumphant eyes._

_Mary Brandon was now in the hospital. Her nurse stood behind her, cutting away locks of her long, dark hair. She sobbed quietly, unable to protest. She was helpless._

I gasped, coming out of the vision, blinking frantically. At first, I didn't recognize where I was. It was odd for a scry to pull a witch into a vision, but I was thankful for it.

I looked around, heart beating wildly in my chest. The sky was lightening. I was almost out of time. If I continued, I would be scrying using my own energy. I'd never heard of anyone having a vision of the past before. I didn't know how much energy it took, but I knew I had to try.

"_Revelare!_" I cried, throwing myself back into the past.

_It was dark for a moment before a man came into view. He was tall, dark, and eluded an aura of power. He entered the hospital, walking up to the nurse at the front desk. His eyes, once dark and black, flashed white as he spoke. His voice was deep and heavily accented. "Can I see her?"_

_The nurse blinked, dazed, and unfocused. "Yes…" she replied in a monotone voice. It was barely a mumble._

_The man walked into a different room. Mary was lying on her cot but noticed the man. She sat up, smiling. Despite everything, she looked cheerful. "What have you brought for me today?" she asked, smirking as if she already knew._

_He laughed a deep, comforting noise. "You're supposed to tell me that."_

_The girl's smile faltered. "Time is pressing tonight."_

"_What's the matter?"_

_Mary frowned, looking off into the distance. "Someone—something—is going to kill me tonight."_

_The man was on his feet immediately, faster than the human eye could follow. "I should have taken you away from here months ago!" He moved to pick her up, but Mary protested._

"_No!"_

_He paused. "You saw it? You still die?"_

_Mary nodded. "Speed isn't enough."_

"_We'll cover your scent in the river. Then I'll lead them away from you." He was pacing, worried now._

_The expression on the petite girl's face didn't change. "There's two of them, and there's only one of you."_

_It was silent for a moment before her expression _did _change—to one of horror. "No!" she gasped._

_The man sat down. "No it won't work, or no don't do it?"_

_Mary was quiet for a second. "There's only a chance. Only the slimmest possible chance that they won't reach me before—"_

_That was enough for the man. He nodded, decided. "It's a chance."_

_She tried to protest again. "No! You'll die… the only way I survive is if you fight them to the death… and even then it's just a chance. I can't let you do that. There's a future for you, Kumboh. I've seen it."_

_Kumboh leaned forward, smiling gently at the girl. "I have had enough time."_

_Mary closed her eyes, a tear falling down her cheek. She was trembling, but her voice was steady. "A sprig of lavender in your right pocket."_

_Kumboh reached into his pocket, holding the lavender out to her. Before she could move to take it, he had picked her up and ran out of the room faster than anyone they passed could see._

_Mary was back on the table, strapped down securely. She seemed to be delirious but was coming out of it quickly. The nurse was loosening her restraints._

"_How are you feeling now, Miss Brandon?" the doctor asked, making notes in her file._

_Mary was silent. She looked at the nurse expectantly, a smile growing on her face. Her eyes were cloudy._

I was breathing heavily. Apparently, looking into the past took much more strength than looking into the future. I blinked, willing myself to hold on just a little bit longer. The corners of my vision began to darken. I ignored it.

"_Revelare…_"

_The images were shifting faster now._

_Outside the hospital, Kumboh faced two unfamiliar people. One was a man, pale with long, blonde hair held back at the nape of his neck. The other was a woman equally pale with wild curls the color of fire. They were dressed shabbily, but that didn't dilute from their beauty. It was inhuman._

"_Well, well, well," drawled the blonde man. "I see someone's after my savory lamb." He grinned. The woman giggled._

"_You will not have her," Kumboh warned, accent potent._

_The man snorted. "Of course I will. Who's going to stop me?"_

_They fought. It was too fast to tell what was happening, but the sounds were deafening._

_The blonde man pinned Kumboh down by the throat. "I want you to know that every minute you keep me here, is just another minute I'm going to spend tearing her apart."_

"_You picked the wrong fight, old man," the woman taunted, walking up behind the blond. She ran her slender finger down his cheek. He shivered in delight._

"_No. For once it was the right fight." Kumboh had lost._

_A little girl—young Mary—stood by her mother's side. "I can't wait to meet my little sister." She laid her head on her mother's swollen belly._

_Her mother smiled, delighted. "It's a girl, is it?"_

_Mary nodded, blue eyes twinkling happily._

"_We'll call her Cynthia. Just… let's wait until after she's born to tell your father. Not everybody likes to know what's going to happen before it does." The woman grinned at her daughter fondly. "That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. I love you."_

_Mrs. Brandon faded away into an image of a cemetery._

_Mary lay in a mausoleum. It was dark, but her skin was so white it practically glowed. At first, it seemed as if she was sleeping, but she was much too still and pallid. Suddenly, her eyes flew open they were bright red._

_The blond man and the redheaded woman were running. He was angry—furious. "No one has _ever_ escaped me!" he growled, pulling a fully grown pine tree from its roots and tossing it as if it were nothing. "I can't very well go after her now. She'll be too strong!"_

_The woman watched, smirking. "We'll wait. I'm sure you can finish her later. It'll be a new challenge."_

_The man paused, considering her words. He closed in on her with a smirk, like a predator hunting his prey. "You're right."_

_Mary sat on the hospital bed, still looking at the nurse expectantly._

_The doctor cleared his throat and asked again. "I asked how you were feeling, Miss Brandon."_

_The nurse finally realized that Mary was waiting for her to answer. "Why, that's you!" she laughed as if Mary were the most foolish girl in the world. "You're Mary Alice Brandon."_

"_Oh!" Mary smiled sheepishly. "I'm quite well, thank you." She seemed to be in much better spirits. The nurse and doctor didn't notice._

_Mary sat for a moment, swinging her legs off the side of the table. She grinned._

"_Alice… I like that name."_

I couldn't hold on anymore. The edges blackness around my vision took over my sight. I fell to the ground and knew no more.

* * *

When I awoke, the first thing I felt was the sun on my skin. It was bright and warm, but I was cold.

I heard a shuffling next to me and felt something tapping my hand. I sat up quickly, eyes popping open, disoriented, and unsure of what it was touching me. To my surprise, it was the raven from before.

"What are you doing here?" I asked it. My voice was rough and cracked. I must have been out hard. My loose hair was tangled and disheveled around my shoulders. There were probably leaves in it from my time on the forest floor. It must have been hours.

The creature gave me a pointed look and a gargled 'caw' as if saying 'you're the one who doesn't belong here, not me.' It flew off before I could question it further. I supposed I should be thankful it woke me to begin with. I had no idea what time it was, but the sun was still pretty high overhead—maybe a little afternoon? I had to get back home and change before Edward came to pick me up to meet his family.

It was with that thought that everything that happened the previous night came crashing back to me. The visions I had seen replayed through my mind rapidly.

Mary, the girl that I had seen was short, petite, with cropped black hair and a cheery disposition, despite everything she had been through, and she had been through a lot. But she didn't go by Mary Brandon anymore. These days she preferred her middle name and the name of her adoptive family: Alice Cullen.

I couldn't wait for Edward to come to me. I would have to go to him.

I scrambled to my feet, and shot through the woods, running as fast as my legs would allow me. I didn't know what sort of timeline I was working with exactly, but I did know that the vampires that had once tried to kill her were coming back for her. My instincts were screaming at me that it would happen tonight. I pushed myself harder.

It took half an hour before my aunts' home came into view. I knew immediately that they weren't there. They were probably off somewhere, still asleep and refueling from Ostara, like I should have been doing.

Instead, I stopped at the house only long enough to grab the keys to the Infiniti. I threw myself into the vehicle, panting heavily now that I didn't have to run anymore. I all but peeled out of the driveway.

It wasn't until then that I realized I didn't know where the Cullens lived. As I got to the highway, I took a deep breath. I would have to rely solely on my instincts for this. They'd never been wrong before.

I turned, deciding to head away from the main part of town. I drove, crossing the Calaway River and followed the winding road north. The houses were growing farther apart and getting larger as I went further down the road. Eventually, the houses all but disappeared, and I was driving through the forest, trees on either side of the road. It felt right; there's no way that the Cullens would choose to live around humans.

Something ran out onto the road in front of my car and stopped. I slammed on my breaks instinctively, screeching to a halt. Jasper stood on the road in front of me. I breathed a sigh of relief. The blond hair panicked me before I realized who it was. It didn't help that I was already on edge.

I unlocked my doors, and he was in the passenger seat before I could register that he moved. "What's going on, Emme?" he demanded. His voice was hard.

"Where's Edward?" I asked. "And Alice? Where's Alice?"

His brow furrowed, concerned now. "They went hunting. No one was expecting you until later. They're on their way back now, though. Alice called and said that you'd be on your way and to go and find you."

I took a deep breath. She was fine. We had time.

I looked at Jasper. He was just as intimidating as the last time I saw him. This close I noticed the faintest trace of scars that littered his face, neck, and arms. I eyed the dried blood that coated my arm and the hem of my dress. When I had fallen unconscious, I had spilled the scrying bowl, and some of its contents had found its way back onto me.

Jasper could clearly sense my unease. I suddenly felt more comfortable than I knew I should be. "I'm fine," he assured me in an even tone. "Keep going for another mile or so. There'll be an unpaved road on the right. Take that."

I started the car, wordlessly, and followed his directions. I wasn't sure if I was happy about my emotions being meddled with or not. It was nice to not be so unnerved for the time being. I turned off the highway at Jasper's reminder. He was very clearly on edge. The forest drew impossibly close on both sides of the road if you could even call it that. We twisted through the ancient trees as fast as I dared take us.

Eventually, the woods thinned until a large lawn and home came into view. It was heavily shadowed from the forest, right up to the house. The home itself was beautiful and timeless. My aunts' house was a very stereotypical 'spinster witch that lived on the edge of town.' It seemed that the Cullens didn't embrace their stereotypes quite as easily. Theirs was a three-story home, soft white and well proportioned. The windows were large and angular. The architecture of the building screamed its age; the place must have been a century old.

I turned to Jasper as I brought the car to park. "I appreciated that on the drive over here, but I'm going to need my own emotions back, please."

He gave me a shrewd look, but let me go as I had asked.

As I climbed out of the car, I noticed the rest of the Cullens gathering on the front porch and lawn expectantly.

Dr. Cullen was younger than I imagined, though it was clear he was the oldest of the group. His hair was a light, dusty blonde, and he held an authority about him that was somehow gentle. At his side was a beautiful woman, just as pale and striking as the rest of them. She was softer, though. Her face was a pleasant heart shape, and loose, caramel color waves framed her face before flowing down around her shoulders. They walked down the porch to meet Jasper and me.

Emmett and Rosalie emerged from the back of the house. I had never stood this close to Emmett before. I was struck by the sheer size of him. I was fairly short—about 5'4"—but he had to be at least a foot taller than I was. He looked at me curiously, as if he was eager for a show. Rosalie's stare was icy, as usual. If the reason why she hated me really was that I put her family in danger, then she was about to be in for a rude awakening. It would seem her family could put themselves in danger all by themselves.

Carlisle and Esme looked perfectly pleasant, however. "You must be Emme," Carlisle greeted. "I apologize that Edward isn't here to meet you… we weren't expecting you for another couple of hours."

"I'm sorry for intruding—I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't important. When will Edward and Alice be back?" I tried to keep my voice as polite as his was, but it wasn't hard to sense the urgency and worry in it.

Carlisle and Esme glanced at each other in concern.

Before anyone could answer me, I felt Edward growing closer. "Nevermind…" I muttered.

He came into view almost immediately after. His face was hard and dark; he was anxious. He brought me to him instantly, wrapping his arms around me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I let myself bask in the feeling of safety and comfort that he gave me for just a moment. I could feel the eyes of his family on us; normally, it would bother me, but now I didn't seem to care. I pulled away, running a hand through my tangled hair. "Alice?" I asked, panic creeping back in my voice as I noticed she wasn't with him.

"Here!" her musical voice called from the edge of the forest. She was with the rest of us in just one more moment. "Not all of us are as fast as Edward, here. He was faster than usual, even." The small girl sent him an annoyed look, but she was as cheerful as ever.

I blanched at the idea of her still and dead like she had been in the mausoleum in my vision.

"What's going on, Emme?" Edward murmured into my ear, an arm still around me.

I glanced at the Cullens. This was going to take a lot of explaining. I took a deep breath. "It's a long story, and I know you all are going to have about a million questions. Please, just keep an open mind."

Carlisle nodded, speaking for the group. "Of course."

"Edward has told you I'm a witch. Not too long ago, I was testing to move to the next rank—that test involved summoning a spirit. I was successful. I summoned a demon. Originally, I thought he was a warlock in his life, but it turns out he was a vampire. He asked me to help him finish what he couldn't. Someone was after a girl that he gave his life to save. I agreed, and I've spent the last couple weeks trying to locate this girl through magical and mortal means. Last night, I had a vision of the past… I finally managed to track her down."

"Is that normal?" Edward questioned, ignoring the disbelieving faces of his family.

I shook my head. "I'd have to ask my aunts, but I don't know anyone else that that's happened to. But I saw her entire life, Edward. I know what happened to her."

"Where is she?"

From his other side, Alice tensed and gasped. "Me?"

I nodded.

It was silent for a moment as the group took in what I was saying.

"You know what happened to Alice?" Jasper asked incredulously, drawl thicker than ever. I could feel his alarm, and I didn't blame him. I would react the same way if I realized that someone was after Edward.

Rosalie scoffed. "How do we know you're not just making everything up?"

Edward let out a warning growl from beside me. It was low and predatory, and I didn't even think about acknowledging it, because my temper flared. "Why would I do that?" I hissed at her.

"Rosalie," Carlisle warned.

"I'm not here to hurt your family or expose you or whatever else you think, Rosalie. There are vampires coming for Alice—soon. Last I checked, that was helping, not hurting."

Edward growled at Rosalie once more, presumably after reading her thoughts. I decided to stay out of it on that front. I didn't need any more trouble from her.

"Do you see anything, Alice?" Esme asked gently.

Alice looked away, her eyes glazing over. "There are some visitors in the area, but I don't see them affecting us. Our night still looks normal." She looked over at me, expression utterly unreadable. The rest of them looked at me with expressions ranging from doubt to confusion.

I ran my fingers through my hair once more, this time in frustration. I didn't blame them for doubting me. My story seemed crazy to them. They hadn't been with me like Edward had been to learn the ins and outs of my magic and what I could do, and even he hadn't seen my vision last night. None of them had even seen me use magic before. There had to be a way to make them understand. I crossed my arms, determined now.

"I can't control my visions as Alice can. But I _know_ the blond is going to try to come after her tonight. Even if you don't believe me, I think we should have a plan in place—just in case."

"I agree with Emme." Surprised, I looked at Jasper. His face was serious and almost frightening. He clasped Alice's hands tightly in his own before continuing. "We should have a plan for every possibility, especially when something so important is on the line."

I knew Edward trusted me, but the trust I felt coming from Jasper—albeit faint—was unexpected. I gave him the smallest of smiles in thanks.

Carlisle agreed. "All right. We'll make a plan. In the meantime, Emme, perhaps you would like to get cleaned up. I'm sure Rosalie has some clothes you can borrow. Then, perhaps you can further explain what happened."

The girl in question scoffed before turning and running back to the house.

Alice grinned, ever the optimistic. "Actually, I think I might have something in your size, Emme. You can change and then tell me about your vision."

I glanced up at the sky. The sun was getting lower; it was behind the trees now. Unless I fully explained myself, a "plan" was as good as I was going to get. There was time enough.

My mind was racing, going over every possible scenario of what might happen. If worst came to worst, I would fight off this vampire by myself. I wasn't going to let Alice die again. I didn't know her very well yet, but I knew I would. I could feel it. The thought of her death made my heart ache. I could do this.

Clutching Edward's hand, I followed the Cullens into the house, resolve growing with every step.

* * *

_A/N:_

_I know it's only been a day but I'm too excited not to post this haha. And now, the cat's out of the bag! Shout out to everyone who remembered/picked up the clues I was dropping about Mary's identity. I always thought James' info drop while confronting Bella at the end of the book was important and everyone just kind of brushed it off. I wanted to explore it more, so this is my way of doing that. Yes, this story is about Emme, but the whole world doesn't revolve around her._

_I just want to point out that the information for Alice's backstory IS NOT MINE. I took information for the visions almost exclusively from the Illustrated Guide and the Storyteller videos on youtube/SMeyer's website (The Mary Alice Brandon File and The Groundskeeper). Go check them out if you'd like to watch the visions that Emme sees (The MAB File is excellent, The Groundskeeper is kinda weird imo but has good info)._

_Please let me know what you guys thought! What I'm planning to do for the ending is probably going to go off of how you guys react to this. I don't want it to be too OOC. As always, thanks for the follows/faves/reviews :)_

_Until next time!_


	18. Chapter 17: Explanations

I glanced around, feeling a bit better now that I wasn't coated in my own blood. Alice found me a pair of jeans and a lightweight navy blue sweater that somehow fit me perfectly _and_ matched the boots that I had already been wearing. I didn't even question it.

"Perhaps," began Carlisle, "you should start at the beginning."

I sighed. I moved to run my fingers through my hair before remembering that Alice had put it in a single braid. I made do with grabbing it and pulling it over my shoulder so I could fidget with the end.

Edward gently took my other hand. "Just the basics,"

I nodded. If the situations were reversed, I would need more information too. I didn't blame Rosalie for thinking I was trying to stir up trouble. "There are seven different types of magic: healing, spell casting, telekinesis, invocation, potion brewing, precognition, and clairvoyance. Witches are ranked based on how many of these they have mastered. My aunts have mastered all seven, so they are Septes. I moved here to train with them have mastered four since being here. Edward and Alice actually had a lot to do with how fast I've been progressing—they sort of kickstarted my precognition and clairvoyance abilities. That's how I knew there was something off about you guys originally."

"So you can read minds too?" Emmett asked, groaning.

I fought the urge to smile at his dread. "I can, but I try not to. Especially for those I'm close with."

"Prove it. Show us something."

I raised both brows, staring at Rosalie in shock. I honestly didn't even expect her to be here for this conversation, but, on second glance, I could feel the underlying curiosity and anxiety. She may not have wanted to believe me for all the trouble it would cause her, but she did love her sister.

"Umm… ok, I guess." I looked at Edward hesitantly.

The corners of his lips twitched, and he nodded. He knew what I could do. Now I had to show the rest of them.

I stood up, moving over to Jasper. "May I?" I gestured at his free arm resting in his lap.

His eyebrows quirked, but he held his arm out anyways.

I took his cold hand in mine and examined it. It was littered in scars that not many would notice if they hadn't already. I focused on the biggest one: shimmering white scar that looked unmistakably like someone had bitten him on his forearm right above the wrist. I held my hand over it steadily. "My magic is a part of me. The more I use it, the more energy it takes. Witches that go too far… that use more than they have… well, they die. Healing is one of the most dangerous because wounds take a lot of magic to heal. But scars… well, those are much easier." I focused on the mark until my hand began to glow silver similarly to how it did after capturing the moonlight on Ostara. I traced my finger over the mark, when I removed it, the scar was gone.

Jasper examined his arm, tilting his arm this way and that. His eyesight was better than mine, but he still couldn't seem to find it. The rest of the Cullens watched, frozen, and contemplative.

"Spell casting is an umbrella term for so many things—glamours, transmutation, levitation—you name it. It's one of the most basic aspects of witchcraft, but also the most advanced because there's so much to it. It takes a lot of magic to do something like control fire or water, but something like changing your appearance? It's basically nothing." I looked straight at Rosalie, taking in every aspect of her. As I studied her, I began to change. My hair shortened and became perfectly waved and a golden blonde. My skin became white and unblemished. My eyes darkened to almost black. I grew taller.

For her part, Rosalie looked slightly horrified, but also reluctantly impressed. Either that or just pleased at what she looked like—probably a bit of both.

"Somebody pinch me," Emmett muttered from next to the real Rosalie, grinning with a look on his face like he'd just won the lottery. "Babe, there are two of you!"

I heard Edward growl softly at Emmett from behind me. I shook my head, ending the glamour before Edward had to tolerate any more of whatever Emmett's thoughts were. "Telekinesis is pretty straightforward. Moving objects is simple—" I held my hand out and a book on the end table across the room came flying into my hand. "But depending on my magic levels I can also move people. I may or may not have done it to Edward when he tried to get me to leave the night I almost got attacked in Port Angeles.

"Invocation involves calling spirits from the other realms to this one. I can't really show you that without my crystals or drawing a circle, though. It also makes me sensitive to any spirits. Your house is not haunted, by the way," I grinned, trying to lighten the mood a bit, but only Edward, Emmett, and Alice were unconcerned enough with the information I was giving them to smile at the joke.

"Potion brewing is also pretty obvious. They can do a ton of different things from replenishing energy to healing to helping plants grow. If you can read, you can brew a potion. It's actually pretty boring. You don't even need to be ranking to be able to do it.

"You should be familiar with precognition," I said, turning to Alice. "It works a bit different for witches, though. We can't exactly have visions whenever we want like you can, although some people are really good at triggering them. But they are similar in that they are subjective and almost always changing depending on a person's choices. And apparently I can have visions of past events as well as future ones, although I had no idea about that particular detail until 12 hours ago.

"The last one is clairvoyance. It's also pretty broad since there's a lot of ways to manipulate someone's mind. Like Edward, I can read thoughts, but it goes farther than that. Stunning, hypnosis, empathy," I gave Jasper a wink, "When I was almost attacked in Port Angeles I cursed the men that did it, which is technically a more permanent form of mind control."

"It was far more than they deserved." Edward's voice was harsh and cold.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Those men will never be able to hurt anyone again—even in self-defense."

Edward scoffed, clearly still not agreeing. He was probably right. If those men ever had to defend themselves against someone, it would be karma. I didn't regret what I had done to them.

"Anyways," I looked to Carlisle. His eyes were scrutinizing, taking in every last word I said. "May I?"

Carlisle nodded without asking what I was planning on doing. I was surprised at his trust in me, despite only meeting today. My eyes clouded over with shades of light, just like they did the night in Port Angeles. And just like it did whenever I spoke using magic, my voice became distant. "_Put this away,_" I told him, holding out the book I had gotten with telekinesis.

Carlisle was on his feet immediately. He took the book and returned it to the end table on the other side of the room. He turned back to me.

I pointed at the chair he had been sitting on next to Esme, "_Sit down._"

He did.

Jasper sucked in a sharp breath. Esme's amber eyes were wide.

I let Carlisle go. Not three months ago, these simple displays of easy magic would have caused me to sleep for a solid 12 hours. I couldn't help but notice that I only felt the smallest bit of exhaustion creeping through my veins. I had more stamina now. I was getting stronger.

I dropped onto the loveseat next to Edward. He pulled me to him before I even made it all the way onto the cushion. I scanned the faces of the Cullens, trying to gauge where I stood with them now. Edward's thumb rubbed circles on the back of my hand, but he made no move to signify that any of their thoughts were of the negative variety.

"Have you ever come across anything like this, Carlisle?" Jasper asked with a sharp edge to his tenor voice. There was no hostility coming from him, however. He was serious, noting that my kind could be a threat to him, but he didn't seem to believe that _I _was, and that was the part that mattered most.

Carlisle shook his head slowly, looking toward a bookshelf with unclear eyes at a memory none of us could see. He was thinking very hard. "During my time with the Volturi, I heard whispers of witches—just one in particular. I thought it was just a rumor at the time, but I'm beginning to think that their encounter was real. It was a taboo subject, so I never asked. If your kind is as powerful as you have demonstrated, Emme, then the reason that Aro would want to keep their existence from us is obvious."

I frowned. This was not the first time I'd heard of witches mixing with the Volturi, but I pushed that thought to the back of my mind for now. "We have access to a lot of magic, sure," I explained. "But we also have our weaknesses. I come from two incredibly long lines of powerful witches. My family's magic is more potent than most, not to mention it's finite. If I use more than I have, I'm dead. I may not be human, but I am mortal."

Edward stiffened beside me. This was a fact he knew, but we had not yet discussed it in depth.

"I can't heal myself. My senses aren't as good as yours are. I certainly don't have super strength or speed or whatever else on my own. If one of you decided to attack me right now, I might have a vision, or my instincts might warn me about it, but if I didn't see it coming, you could easily overpower me."

"No one is attacking you, Emme," Edward stated harshly as though I was being ridiculous.

I threw up my free hand in defense. "I didn't think you were. I was just pointing out that all power has weaknesses. Nature is about balance."

It was silent as the Cullens contemplated my words. They had abandoned all pretenses of humanity after my little display of magic. It was like sitting in a room full of statues, with the exception of Edward. He had seen enough of my magic by this point to be quite comfortable in its presence.

"Well," Alice chimed. "I'm glad that's settled. Now that we know Emme is, in fact, a witch as she said, I have just a few questions."

Alice's light tone dripping in sarcasm was a juxtaposition that shouldn't have worked, and yet it did. I laughed quietly.

"No one was questioning Emme's trustworthiness, Alice," Carlisle insisted. "But we can't just go after strangers without all the facts first."

"Why not?"

Rosalie elbowed Emmett with a roll of her eyes.

What Carlisle said made perfect sense; it was what anyone rational would think. I had a bad habit of acting before thinking, however.

"What did you find out about me, Emme?"

I began to recount everything I had seen in my vision, starting from the very beginning. I told Alice and her family about her human life. I told them about how she had been gifted and feared because of it; her mother loved her unconditionally, but her father only saw her as insane. I told them about how she found out that her father killed her mother so he could remarry and then tried to kill her. I told them how she ended up in an asylum and underwent electroshock therapy until her memories were gone, and yet she still managed to make a friend in the groundskeeper that only worked under the cover of darkness. I told them how two vampires came for her and the groundskeeper bit her and fought the vampires for days so she could undergo the change. When I was finished, there was silence.

I examined Alice's face. It was hard to see what she was feeling—the girl was already pale, but she seemed even lighter if that was possible. I knew that vampires were incapable of tears. Her wide, unfocused eyes betrayed her though. She could feel that I was right. "I have a sister?" she whispered, suddenly looking at me.

I nodded. "Her name is Cynthia Brandon. She's still living in Biloxi. Actually, you have a whole line of family on her side."

Alice's lips parted into a wide grin of pure excitement at the idea of a family she never got the chance to know.

"So what are we going to do?" Esme asked, standing up much too slowly for one of their kind. Her face was determined, fierce. I was a little bit taken aback by her reaction. She seemed so nonthreatening that I never would have been able to imagine that look coming from her had I not seen it for myself. It was unnatural for someone so gentle and soft.

I knew what I wanted to do. I had known from the second I remembered the vision after waking up. But I wasn't a member of their family, and it wasn't my place to be giving them orders. I knew they would all want to protect Alice, but not all of them would be in favor of taking the offensive like I was. I glanced at Emmett who was bouncing his right knee with a smirk on his face. My eyebrow quirked upward in amusement. At least there was one other that was on my side.

"Perhaps it won't come to a fight," Carlisle mused thoughtfully from his chair.

I tried not to make a face at that. None of them had seen the vampires as I had. It wasn't in their nature to show kindness. The blond would stop at nothing to catch the only prey that had ever escaped him. He'd been waiting years, decades, to come across her again.

"But what if it does?" Jasper drawled. He narrowed his eyes in thought. "We can't risk it, Carlisle." Maybe there were two that were on my side.

"But if we speak to them first, perhaps they will understand the situation. They will have to accept that this is our territory. And they wouldn't dare come after a member of our family or anyone under our protection."

For the first time in a long while, Edward chimed in. "Carlisle is right. If we can avoid a fight, then we should." He looked toward me. "I don't want to put to chance anyone getting hurt."

I rolled my eyes. If he thought I'd sit out while they did whatever they ended up doing, he had another thing coming.

I was about to say something when I involuntarily tensed, the Cullen's living room fading away as a vision took over my sight.

_Edward stiffened from next to me on the sofa._ _"Someone's here," he muttered, standing up from his seat. "Stay here."_

_I ignored him, following him to the door. He swung it open, not waiting for whoever was out there to make it to the front door. Within seconds the rest of his family arrived behind us. We all filed through the door and out onto the front yard to meet the arriving strangers._

_Three figures emerged from the trees. They were all far apart from each other, but it was clear that they were all together. They were too far away and it was too dark to notice anything distinct about their features, but their hair color was recognizable from across the lawn._

_One of the men had dark hair, the other was a blond. And the woman's hair was a startling, vivid shade of red._

"Emme?" Edward murmured softly.

The room had fallen silent once again. I'd been able to hide my visions from my human friends, but it seemed as if these vampires weren't completely oblivious. They were probably used to the signs from Alice.

"There are three of them in their group now—the blond, his mate, and another dark-haired man. I didn't recognize him."

Emmett shrugged. "There are still six of us. Plus Sabrina here." He shot me a dimpled grin.

Edward's response was almost immediate. "Emme will not be a part of this."

I pulled out of Edward's grasp, jumped to my feet and stepping away. I turned to look him square in the eyes. "The hell I won't!" I hissed, tone low and adamant.

Edward stood as well, matching the ferocity in my own gaze. "It's too dangerous—"

I cut him off. "If I can help, then I'm going to help. I'm not going to go home and twiddle my thumbs while General Zaroff and ginger Ivan go after Alice." My reference earned me a snort from both Emmett _and _Rosalie. I didn't acknowledge it though.

Edward was looking at me, pained as if he wanted nothing more than to wrap me up in bubble wrap and lock me in Rapunzel's tower. It was one thing to be protective. It was another to hide me away when I was capable of taking care of myself.

"Look. I can't explain it. I haven't seen it so I don't know why I feel this way. I just _know_ she's going to be important to me. You all are. I can _feel_ it. And you know my intuition is always right. You aren't going to win this one, Edward. Unless you all want me to leave," I turned, looking at the rest of them, now standing as well, "I am staying right where I am."

Alice was by my side in an instant, arms wrapping around me. I staggered a bit, thrown by her sudden weight. "Thank you."

"Fine." I turned back to face Edward after Alice released me. His jaw was set. He didn't look pleased by the idea of me putting myself in harm's way, but his eyes were softer now. "But if things get too bad, you're leaving."

"Like it'll get that far," Emmett scoffed.

Jasper stepped forward to Alice's side. "He's right." He faced Carlisle. "It won't."

Their father figure nodded slowly in agreement. "We will speak to them. If they attack, we will defend our own."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. As much as Carlisle's pacifism was to be admired, in this instance, it was only going to get us in trouble. The strangers would attack. I knew it. And they would be here tonight. I made eye contact with Jasper. I could still feel the uncertainty coming from him, just as I knew he could feel it coming from me.

"We were planning on playing baseball tonight. What if we all stay at home? Or just Alice and Jasper?" Esme suggested.

"That won't work," I explained. "I've had a vision of us playing baseball, and Kumboh warned me they would attack. Then, just now I saw the three of them arriving here. It doesn't matter where she is."

"Then we should stay together." She her tender voice was firm. No one disagreed.

"I think we should just enjoy our night as planned," Alice said, tilting her head. "Especially if it doesn't matter where we go or what we do."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Rosalie asked tentatively. This was the first I'd heard her speak since she demanded I prove my powers. Focusing on her for the first time since then, I realized I didn't feel the normal hatred or annoyance coming off her like I usually did. As much as I'd hoped the dynamic would change between us, it was probably too much to hope for.

"I feel confident that should things come to an unpleasant outcome, the odds will be in our favor," Jasper declared.

The others seemed to accept this without hesitation.

I considered him. Not for the first time, I wondered how he got to where he was today.

Alice interrupted my thoughts with a clap. "I'm glad that's settled," she grinned as if we had been discussing what movie to watch instead of the life she didn't remember and the fact that she was about to be attacked. "We'll head out in…" her eyes clouded over as she trailed off, but it was only for a moment. "A couple of hours."

I saw Edward smile crookedly out of the corner of my eye and quickly followed his gaze across the room to Rosalie. The beautiful girl looked annoyed at Edward, then me. "Let's go, Emmett. I have to get changed." She dragged him off without another word.

Edward, on the other hand, looked quite smug.

Carlisle also excused himself to his office to finish up some paperwork for work. Esme, Alice, and Jasper remained with Edward and me in the living area, however.

"Now, Emme," Esme began, sinking down onto the settee nearest her. "Perhaps you can tell us something about yourself that isn't witch related."

I chuckled. "That's definitely the most interesting thing about me. I'd probably just bore you with the rest."

She waved a hand. "Nonsense."

I blinked, scrambling to come up with something. "I lived in Salem my entire life. My dad died shortly after I was born—apparently, he was murdered by vampires."

Esme blanched.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly. "No hard feelings, I promise. It wasn't any of your faults. Anyways, my mom rejected magic and left me untrained until she abandoned me to run off with her boyfriend causing me to set our house on fire because I couldn't control any of my magic," I explained quickly in one breath. "And then I moved here."

Edward snorted, rolling his eyes at my hasty explanation.

"You're dating an arsonist, Edward," Alice laughed sounding positively delighted.

I hadn't thought about it like that, but she did have a point. "Well, I _was _the reason Tyler Crowley's van burst into flames that one day he tried to run me over…" I smirked. "I swear it was an accident though."

Alice smirked right back. "Sure it was."

"He deserved it," Edward added.

Esme looked back and forth between the four of us fondly as we joked with each other—well, Alice, Edward, and I joked. Jasper mainly just watched, chiming in when he had to. She seemed genuinely happy; it was clear she loved her children very much.

"Which one of you plays the piano?" I asked as I eyed the baby grand in the corner after the conversation had slowed.

"It's Edward's," Esme declared proudly.

My eyes narrowed as I met Edward's golden ones. "You didn't tell me that you played an instrument," I accused.

He shrugged. "You never asked."

I sighed. "I probably could have guessed since your talents seem to be endless." I wasn't even being sarcastic. Edward was perfect; I was lucky.

Jasper snickered at that one, though, clearly not agreeing in only the way a brother could.

Esme scolded him. "I hope you haven't been showing off, Edward."

Edward, on the other hand, laughed at the glare I was sending him. It was answer enough—of course, he had.

Esme didn't scold him further, however. Instead, her expression softened once more. She and Edward exchanged a brief look before she turned to me. "Do you play an instrument, Emme?"

"Mom told me my father used to play the violin, so I taught myself that when I was younger. I haven't touched one since I moved, though."

"I used to play the cello," she smiled wistfully. "It's been a while for me too."

"Perhaps we can play something together one day," I suggested.

Esme nodded. "I'd very much like that. But for now, why don't you play something for her, Edward."

I turned to him, eager. "Yeah, Edward."

He shot me an annoyed look, but I could tell he didn't mean anything by it. Edward's long fingers wrapped around mine as he pulled me to sit beside him at the piano bench. I thought of my vision from earlier but glanced outside the window. We had decided to keep our baseball plans instead of staying at the Cullen residence, but it still made me nervous. I reassured myself with the fact that it was much too light out still for my vision to be correct.

But the moment Edward started playing, I was pulled from my thoughts and into the music.

I watched as his fingers danced across the black and white ivory keys. The composition was something so intricate that it was hard to believe he was the only one playing. It was a faster movement, but it certainly wasn't upbeat. I'd listened to my fair share of classical music, but this was something I had never come across before. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever heard.

It was then that I noticed the quiet laughter coming from Alice and Jasper. I shook my head, trying to change my facial expression into something less flabbergasted.

Edward wasn't fooled, though. "Do you like it?" he asked casually, winking.

My eyebrows rose to my hairline as I understood his meaning. "You wrote this?"

He nodded simply.

I rolled my eyes at him for the thousandth time, shaking my head in disbelief. Just when I thought we were on equal ground, he did something like _this_. I wracked my brain, trying to think of a talent I had to impress him with later. I couldn't beat him at this moment, though; if I was being honest with myself, I didn't really want to. But I could join him. That was something that sounded much more appealing.

I closed my eyes, getting a sense of the music. It may have been complex, but what I felt the most was the warmth that it exuded. Remembering one of my first lessons with my aunts, I held my hands out. Edward hesitated for a fraction of a second as he noticed what I was doing. The warmth in my palms grew. I opened my eyes. Small balls of flames danced in my palms, licking at my fingertips. I tossed them into the air and they hovered as I sent more flames into the space above us. Then, I twirled my fingers, sending them twirling above our heads and the piano to the speed of the music that Edward played. The soft glow of the orange light reflected off the piano and the walls of the room.

I heard a gasp from behind us; I couldn't tell if it was Esme or Alice. "Beautiful…"

Edward sent me an affectionate smile before he all but stopped playing as he began playing something else entirely. At first, the notes were hesitant and solitary, but after a moment the music grew picked up speed and grew tender. It was lovely and whimsical, but also dark and mysterious. Somehow, the piece managed to flow, but it was uncertain.

As I listened, I let the flames above us dissipate my focus solely on the music Edward was creating. I didn't recognize the song, but it became one of my favorites immediately. "I've never heard this before." My voice was quiet; I was afraid to miss a single note. "3/4 is my favorite time signature. It's criminally underappreciated."

Edward's right hand walked up the keys in a harmonic minor scale—part of the reason for the tune sounding so mystifying. "It was inspired by you."

It was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that something so beautiful could be inspired by me. "Thank you," I managed to whisper. I rested my head on his shoulder as he continued to play, knowing that it wouldn't bother him in the slightest.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Hi all! I hope you enjoy this chapter that I stayed up wayyyy too late to finish up (I'm posting this at 7am... lol). I had a concern in a comment about how the Cullens not believing Emme was odd. I hope this chapter clears that up. It's not that they thought she was lying or didn't believe her, they just needed all the facts before deciding what to do. I don't think the Cullens would run headfirst into anything without going over their options._

_Anyways, I posted a song that fits the criteria for everything that I wanted for Edward's piece on Emme on the Tumblr (devils-playground). It's called "Silhouette" by Daigo Hanada. Let me know what you think of it or if you have another option that you think might work better!_

_As always, thanks for going out of your way to read and support this fic! Until next time :)_


	19. Chapter 18: Play Ball

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Edward asked after the last of the notes had faded away.

"Absolutely."

Edward took me by the hand, pulling me out of the living area and up the massive staircase. There was a long hall at the top of the stairs. Like the rest of the house, the floors were a honey-colored hardwood. The walls were a light and airy gray that complimented them nicely. There were various photos on the walls, ranging from the early 20th century to today.

Edward led me down the hall, pausing to let me know which rooms we were passing as we did. "Rosalie and Emmett's room… Carlisle's office… Alice's room…"

He tried to continue, but I pulled at his grasp and moved to look at something at the end of the hall. It was a large, dark, wooden cross. I wanted to touch it, but I had a feeling it was the oldest thing in the home. I didn't want to damage it. I was drawn to it though. I got a weird feeling just from staring at it; it wasn't a negative one, but it wasn't quite positive either.

"You can laugh," he said, chuckling at my bewildered expression. "It is sort of ironic."

I didn't want to laugh though. Instead, I focused on the cross. "1626."

_A blond man dressed all in black was hanging up a large, simple cross above the pulpit in his church. He took a step back to admire the effect._

_Another man with dark hair stepped forward towards him. "We celebrate our glorious sovereign, His Majesty, King Charles. I fear, however, his choice of consort will bring unrest."_

_The blond man nodded, acknowledging his words, though he said nothing._

"_Sick is the daughter of Sion, and the complexion of England gives her not to be sound. If she feel her own pulse, and examine the symptoms of her illness, her works of disobedience, she must confess that her health is impaired by the sinners that call themselves Catholic."_

"_My concern lies elsewhere," the blond replied nonchalantly. His mind was clearly not on politics._

_The second man looked appalled. "Where, then?"_

_The blond frowned. His voice was harsh with fury and indignation as he began to speak, and the longer he spoke the angrier he became. "The devil can take many forms. He is ancient, though his wrinkled hide lies smoothed and sleeked and white. He walks among us as an angel of light though shrouded in darkness. And he tempts wretched sorceresses to some real covenant with him so as to insinuate into mortal hearts. God's children must be protected and those of Satan destroyed!"_

_The dark-haired man beside him gave a curt nod. "God's children nourisheth the devils and witches with their own blood. It cannot stand, though I will, beside you."_

I shook my head, clearing the image of the church and the two men. A shiver ran down my spine.

"What did you see?" Edward questioned hesitantly from beside me.

"Another vision of the past—it had to be. I saw the man that owned that cross. A blond… harsh. I think he knew about vampires… witches too, actually."

To my surprise, Edward didn't look shocked. "The cross originally belonged to Carlisle's father. He was an Anglican pastor in London. Carlisle's mother died giving birth to him, and his father was… intolerant. As the Protestants came into power, he was very enthusiastic in his persecution of Roman Catholics and other religions."

"He supported King Charles I, but he didn't like his Catholic wife," I noted.

Edward grinned, astonished by my input. "Amazing," he muttered, before placing a kiss on my forehead. He continued. "Carlisle's father believed very strongly in the reality of evil. He led hunts for witches, werewolves, and vampires."

"I probably could have guessed that much." I repeated what I had heard Carlisle's father saying to the other man. "Did they end up finding any?" I wondered hesitantly. If Carlisle was a vampire, I could probably guess that they did.

Edward nodded. "They burned a lot of innocent people—of course, the real creatures that he sought were not so easy to catch." Edward turned, pulling me back down the hallway that we had come down. He didn't hesitate before opening the door.

We walked into Carlisle's office. The walls were paneled with dark wood, but most of it was covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves and paintings. Carlisle sat behind a large mahogany desk in a high backed, dark leather chair. He was scribbling something down in elegant handwriting.

"I'd forgotten much about my father, though the words you spoke could have only been his." He was writing down what I had heard his father say in my vision.

I told him the rest of my vision in great detail, careful not to leave anything out. I could tell by his furrowed brows that his father's beliefs were a bit of a sore subject that had taken centuries for him to overcome. In my opinion, it left him a better man than his father could ever be.

As he finished writing, Carlisle stood and moved across the room, gesturing to a painting. "The London of my youth."

The painting was only a miniature, but it was incredibly detailed. The Thames filled the foreground, crossed by a stone bridge as the city with its cobbled, slanted roofs spread out behind it.

Carlisle's mild bass tone filled the room. "When my father grew older, he placed me in charge of the raids. I was obedient and willing, eager for his approval. But I wasn't as quick to accuse innocents as my father had been—much to his dismay."

"You'd think that would be a good thing," I interrupted. "If people weren't so quick to judge and accuse, so much tragedy throughout history could have been avoided." Like the Trials.

Carlisle smiled knowingly. "Not everyone is so wise. I tried not to see demons where they did not exist, though. My persistence eventually paid off. I discovered a coven of true vampires that lived in the sewers beneath the city. They came out only at night to hunt. We gathered at night with our pitchforks and torches until finally, they emerged."

I held my breath. I knew how the story would end, but that didn't stop the suspense from growing.

"The creature that came first was ancient—he spoke Latin. He was very weak. Even as a human I could see that. Despite that, he fled and we pursued. Normally, one of our kind would have been able to escape easily, but this one was weak. I'm not sure what caused him to turn and attack, probably hunger, but he did. He bit me first but was forced to stop as the others caught up. He had to defend himself, and he did. He killed one of my companions and took the other.

"My father burned anything that had to do with the monsters that walked among the people. I crawled from the ally and hid in the cellar of a building while the mob continued after the vampire. I remained there, undiscovered, for three days as I underwent the change."

Edward had spoken to me about the change, but he hadn't gone into detail. He'd only mentioned that you had to be bitten, and it was incredibly painful.

"Did you ever see your father again?"

Carlisle shook his head. "No. I don't even remember his name. You probably remember what he looked like better than I. But his more tolerant teachings stayed with me. I knew what I had become, but I rebelled against it. I tried to destroy myself, though I'm sure you know that's not quite possible without help. Eventually, I found that animal blood suited my needs almost as well as human blood. I could live my existence without being the monster my father taught me to hate.

"I was suddenly faced with an endless amount of time. I pursued education and art. I found my calling in medicine. I could save human lives instead of taking them, though the self-control took time to acquire. I studied throughout western Europe, ultimately finding myself in Italy."

Carlisle gestured to a different painting this time. There were four figures painted on a balcony looking at the chaos below them as if they were quite literally above it all. One of the men was blond and startlingly familiar. It was Carlisle.

"Solimena was greatly inspired by Carlisle's friends. He painted them as gods," Edward informed me.

I knew immediately who the group was, though I had not seen them before. "You were a part of the Volturi?"

"I stayed with them for a time. Aro, Marcus, and Caius were civilized compared to others of our kind."

I examined the Carlisle of the painting and compared it to the one standing next to me in the flesh. The one in the portrait seemed much colder, like his painted companions. Carlisle resembled his two-dimensional counterpart in looks alone. I was grateful that he wasn't like them. I didn't associate the Volturi with goodness, though I did associate Carlisle with it.

"I left for the New World after departing from their ranks. They tried to persuade me to stay, but our lifestyles were… incompatible. When I arrived in America, I found that after two centuries, I could interact with humans without suspicion. Still, I was lonely. My time in Italy had shown me the companionship that I had been missing since my transformation, though they had been the first of my kind I had come across since my turn. I began to find myself thinking about creating a companion."

"What stopped you?"

"I wasn't quite sure how it was done. My memory was foggy of that night. Also, I was reluctant to take someone's life from them as mine had been."

I glanced at Edward, who was watching me intently as Carlisle spoke. "But you figured it in Chicago during the Spanish Flu epidemic," I guessed, allowing a small smile to appear on my lips.

Carlisle nodded, matching my expression. "Edward has been with me ever since."

"Except for his teen angst phase," I added, remembering what Edward had once told me in the meadow.

Carlisle laughed. "Of course. How could I forget?"

It fell silent between us as I considered Carlisle's history. I hadn't met many vampires. My knowledge of the subject was limited to what the Cullens had shared with me. Still, I knew that Carlisle was someone extraordinary, even if he didn't have an obvious magical talent like Edward, Alice, or Jasper. "Thank you for telling me your story."

"We'll leave you to your work," Edward said, spinning me by the shoulder and towards the door. We headed back down the hall towards the cross, stopping at the end. "This is my room," he informed me.

Edward's room was quite similar to what I imagined it'd be. The back wall was floor to ceiling glass, but the other three were covered in shelves of CDs and books—mostly CDs. A sound system sat in the center of one of the shelves, and I noticed speakers placed all around the room. Between that and the insulation, I bet the acoustics were amazing.

There was no bed in his room, though it did have a large leather sofa against the glass of the back wall. Beds were unnecessary if you didn't sleep. The floors were hardwood like the rest of the house, but there were three rugs of varying jewel tones slightly overlapping that covered the majority of it, again, probably for insulation. Maroon blackout curtains hung in front of the glass window, but they were pushed wide allowing for a view of the Olympic Mountains behind the house.

I wandered slowly around the room, examining the shelves. I started with the books. They included both fiction and nonfiction of many different subjects ranging from fairy tales to medical texts. Most were in pristine condition, despite their obvious age, but a few were well worn: _The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Great Expectations, Anna Karenina_. I shook my head in disbelief.

"What is it?" he asked eagerly, noticing the motion.

"Your most well-read books are some of the most depressing works I've laid eyes on. It's masochistic, Edward."

He chuckled lightheartedly. "You've made me much less depressive these days, I promise. I started _A Tale of Two Cities _just the other night." He gestured to a book, open and face down on an end table next to the sofa.

I gave him a blank look. "That ends with Sydney Carton's execution in the midst of political upheaval."

Edward shrugged. "'I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss.'"

This was the second time he quoted something to me, and I had to admit it sent shivers through my body. Edward was outwardly attractive, incredibly so, but his intelligence was just as striking.

My shivers did not escape Edward's notice. He moved slowly toward me, taking me by the waist and pulling me toward him. He bent, pressing his forehead to mine. Edward spoke in a low tone, but there was obvious heat behind his words. "'I have had the weakness, and have still the weakness, to wish you to know with what a sudden mastery you kindled me, heaps of ashes that I am, into fire.'"

I tilted my head up, blinking stupidly as I gazed into his amber eyes. My heart skipped a beat. He took my face in his hands, almost roughly, and kissed me in earnest. His lips moved against mine, and I reached up winding my arms around his neck. I pressed myself closer to him as if I couldn't be close enough. My breath hitched as his lips parted.

And then, the rug beneath our feet burst into flames.

I let out a shriek of surprise, pushing Edward back toward the couch and away from the fire. This was what more or less happened when a witch couldn't control her emotions. I closed my eyes, trying to get my heart rate to something that was normal.

Edward was openly laughing from the other side of the room.

I opened my eyes a slit, glaring at him. "That was your fault, you know." The fire faded away into nothing. I examined the damage I had done.

He grinned crookedly, playfully. "I know." It didn't seem to bother him in the least that I had singed both his rug and his jeans.

"Sorry," I muttered, looking at the hole in the rug. "I'll replace it."

Edward waved a hand. "Don't bother." He was being very blasé about this.

I was worried, though. Incidents like this were why relationships with humans were discouraged. The magical fire that I created couldn't hurt me, but it would burn through objects and others as if it were created with a match. In situations that were highly emotional was when I was at my most dangerous; uncontrolled emotions caused unpredictable outbursts of magic. This wouldn't faze a warlock, but it could seriously injure a human.

Edward was neither, however.

He was staring intently at me from the couch. "What is it?"

I looked away, suddenly fascinated with his CD collection. This was a conversation we had brushed the surface of but hadn't actually had yet. "I've told you relationships with humans are discouraged for my kind. When I can't control my feelings, I'm prone to unpredictable outbursts of magic. It doesn't hurt me. A warlock would know how to counter the magic to not be affected by it, but it would seriously injure a human. But you… I just don't know." I fiddled with the end of my braid, turning to him.

He smiled encouragingly. "You can't hurt me, Emme."

"I can."

He rolled his eyes. "You can't."

I narrowed my eyes at him, a smirk playing on my lips. "I can't?"

Edward's eyes met mine. He leaned forward as his lips twitched upward. "No." And then he was on his feet, sprinting toward me.

I threw my hands up just in time, gasping as I caught him with telekinesis right before he reached me. I pushed with all my might, sending him flying through the air back toward the couch. It slid back a few inches as he landed on it, ramming into the window behind it with a bang. Edward sat up, running a hand through his already tousled hair. He was laughing freely and looked lighter than I had ever seen him.

I took in his singed pants and messy hair. He'd had the sleeves of his sweater pushed up, but one had fallen down when I threw him across the room. Edward, normally put together, looked more disheveled than I had ever seen him. And then I was laughing just as hard.

There was a knock at the door, but Alice didn't wait for Edward to answer before waltzing in gracefully with Jasper in tow. They took in the pair of us and the burnt rug.

Jasper looked slightly shocked at the scene he had walked into. He stared at Edward as if he were a stranger. I had no doubt they were communicating silently.

Alice, however, raised an eyebrow, amused. She traipsed over and settled herself on the couch next to Edward. "It sounded as if you were having Emme for lunch, but I see now that she had you, instead."

Edward grinned, not even bothering to deny it. I crossed my arms across my chest, slightly smug.

"Anyways, it's about time to go. Emmett's pulled the jeep out in case you don't want to run."

My response was immediate. "I want to run."

It was raining lightly when we stepped outside, but I could tell the storm was worse back towards town. We seemed to be on the edge of it. It was warmer than usual for the end of March—which is probably why there was a thunderstorm, to begin with.

"We'll meet you there," Edward told his siblings. They ran off quickly, faster than I could follow. Instead of scooping me up like last time, Edward slung me across his back.

I rested my chin on his shoulder, tilting my head so my mouth was close to his ear. "Ready when you are." I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I saw him try to suppress a shudder.

Then we were off.

I kept my eyes open as long as I could, amazed at the way the trees streaked past us in blurs. But soon I was forced to close them as the force of the wind made them water too much. I relished the feeling of the wind hitting my face. I was thankful that my hair was still held back in a braid, or else it would have been whipping both Edward and me in the face. I felt as if I was flying. I made another mental note to ask my aunts about how much energy it took to do that.

When we stopped, Edward placed me gently on my feet as if I weighed nothing. He took my hand as I examined our surroundings.

We were in a large clearing—a field, more like. It was bigger than a baseball field and closer to the size of a couple of football fields. I could just make out the mountains behind the treetops in the fading light. Esme, Emmett, Rosalie sat chatting on a few boulders close to us, while Carlisle looked as if he was marking bases. I noticed that they were much further apart than they would have been in a regular baseball game. Alice and Jasper were throwing something back and forth in a distance that looked much too far; I was sure it was a ball, though I didn't see one. They were fast.

When they saw we had arrived, the group made their way to us.

"I didn't expect a human to be that quiet while running with one of us," Esme stated, examining me for any signs that I was hurt or troubled by the experience.

I waved her off. "I'm fine," I promised.

"Emme loves it, Esme," Edward smiled, giving my hand a squeeze.

Alice stopped fluidly in front of me. "It's time!" she announced excitedly.

Lightning flashed immediately after she finished speaking. Thunder boomed quickly afterward.

I glanced at the petite girl. I supposed Alice would be better than any weatherman I had seen. "You know I can do that, right? Or were you just waiting around to be overly dramatic?"

Alice giggled lightly.

Emmett's head whipped to face me, topaz eyes wide in surprise. "You can do that? Like on command?"

I smirked, shifting my gaze from him to the sky above. Almost immediately, lightning tore across the sky only to hit a tree on the far side of the clearing. It was followed by even louder thunder than before and the crackle of a limb of the tree tearing off before crashing to the ground. I looked at Emmett again, brow raised.

He was silent for a moment. "So… you're telling me we can do this whenever we want?"

I snorted. It must be hard to try to fit in with humans when you clearly weren't one. I couldn't imagine having to hold back with every movement I made. I had a hard time controlling just my feelings, let alone my actions. I didn't know why they needed thunder for a baseball game, but the giant's smile was genuine. He looked thrilled at the possibility.

Alice grabbed his hand. "Let's go," she said, pulling him into the field. I was surprised to see that Emmett's movements were just as graceful as hers despite his size.

Edward, Rosalie, Jasper, and Carlisle took off, following them quickly. Esme stayed back with me, however.

I looked at her, curious, as we made our way into the clearing albeit at a much slower pace. "Are you not playing?"

"No," she began. "I prefer to referee—I like keeping them honest."

"I suppose it's a different game when you have supernatural abilities."

She stifled a laugh. "You should hear the arguments they get into. Actually, I hope you don't." Esme looked at her family in the field fondly.

"You must love them quite a lot." It was the only reasonable conclusion after seeing her facial expression.

The woman's smile didn't fade. In fact, it brightened. "I think of them as my children. I never could get over my mothering instincts. Did Edward tell you I had lost a child?"

I blinked at her candidness. "No. Your backgrounds were about the only thing he didn't tell me. I thought they might be too personal to share with a stranger after hearing his."

Esme nodded. "He was my first and only baby. He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing." She sighed. "It broke my heart, and I was already in such a bad place. That's why I jumped off the cliff."

I really looked at her then. For someone that eluded such genuine happiness, it was hard to imagine Esme as anything but. I didn't want to. And if someone else had—well that was inexcusable.

Esme seemed to sense where my thoughts were heading. "I don't regret anything. If my circumstances had been different… if I hadn't of done it, I wouldn't be where I am today." She smiled at me warmly. "I'm happy he found you, dear. He's been the odd man out for too long; it's hurt me to see him alone."

"It doesn't bother you that I'm a witch, then?" I asked, a little bit shocked.

"Of course not. You're not a stranger. You're what he wants. You're one of us. I know it will work out." Her voice was resolute. Another clap of thunder sounded.

We came to a stop. My eyes found Edward in the left-field straight away. Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the pitcher's mound. Emmett held an aluminum bat, swinging it in circles like it was the most natural thing in the world; I could easily imagine him as an athlete. Jasper stood behind him, playing catcher. Again, I noted the distance between all of them. They played with no equipment except the bat and the ball.

If the strangers really were going to make an appearance tonight, like I still sensed they would, there was no way they could sneak up on us. We had the advantage.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as the game began.

Alice straightened, eyes focusing on Jasper. I barely registered her movement as her right arm shot out, throwing the ball to her mate. Emmett didn't hit it. She grinned to herself as she caught the ball easily after Jasper threw it back. Strike one.

I couldn't follow the ball very well. Instead, I focused on their movements to tell what was happening. It was a bit difficult to follow at first, but I grew used to it quickly.

Alice threw the ball again, and this time, Emmett swung. As the ball connected with the bat, the impact made a crash so loud and thunderous; I understood why a storm was necessary. It covered the noise of their playing.

Emmett took off immediately, moving like a blur. Carlisle ran close to him. Edward had vanished into the trees after the ball.

I sucked in a breath, eager to see if Edward would make it back. He was running out of time.

"Out!" Esme called. Not a moment later, Edward emerged from the forest, ball in hand. I could see he was grinning even from this distance. "Emmett hits the hardest, but Edward runs the fastest," Esme explained.

They continued playing, and I watched, completely invested in the game. I'd never been into sports, but I couldn't deny that I loved watching them play. I couldn't stop myself from cheering as Rosalie flit around the bases for a home run, pushing her team a point ahead of Edward's. I didn't much care who was winning, I just liked how _exciting_ it was.

"What do you think?" Edward asked, eyes twinkling as he appeared next to me as he was waiting for his turn to bat.

"I've never cared for sports in my life, but I might if they were all like this," I answered honestly. "It almost—_almost_—makes me wish I had an athletic bone in my body."

Edward flashed his crooked smile at me before jogging slowly to home plate. He didn't bat as Emmett did. Emmett used his brute strength, as he did for most things, I guessed. Edward hit hard but kept the ball low to the ground so it wouldn't easily be reached.

He was almost to second base when he stopped suddenly. His head snapped up to look at Alice in horror, and then he was by my side without hesitation. The rest of the family grouped around us hurriedly.

"Alice?" Esme breathed. I could feel the worry coming from her.

"Emme was right. They're coming."

Jasper was at Alice's side, his posture protective. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "They weren't planning on stopping, but he smelled me. He recognized who I was. He wants to finish what he started."

Seven pairs of eyes flashed to me.

"How soon?" Carlisle asked his voice more authoritative than it usually was.

"Three minutes," she answered, her eyes unfocused.

Emmett shifted eagerly from one foot to the other. "Let them come," he scoffed as he tossed an arm around Rosalie's shoulders. He was the picture of confidence.

Carlisle thought for a moment before speaking. "We try to reason with them first. Let's hope it doesn't evolve past that."

But I knew it would.

* * *

_A/N:_

_You guys probably recognize a lot of this chapter, but I had to include the backstories and the most iconic baseball game of all time. If you didn't listen to Supermassive Black Hole while reading this, you did it wrong, just saying lol._

_I'd also like to acknowledge Thomas Adams for allowing me to rip off his sermons for the vision of Carlisle's dad. Since he's been dead like 400 years, I felt comfortable using it without fear of legal action. I also quoted Charles Dickens. And SMeyer, but we all knew that already._

_SPEAKING OF, MIDNIGHT SUN, ANYONE? I'm so hype. I used the rough draft on her website for a lot of the earlier chapters and literally thought that she shouldn't make us wait any longer and she'd have to publish it soon if she was ever going to. Call me Alice, cause I guess I can predict the future lol._

_Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this last moment of peace before we get into some action! Thanks for all the faves/follows/reviews! I'm close to 100 reviews now... I might cry if it happens haha. Until next time!_


	20. Chapter 19: Prey

Edward glanced nervously between the trees and I. He gently grabbed the end of my braid and pulled out the tie that was holding it. "Glamour," he said as quietly as he could while raking his fingers through my hair. It was wild after being in the braid.

I knew immediately what he was trying to do. The vampires may have been after Alice, but she couldn't be as easily killed as I could. I wasn't like them. I was mortal. I stood out. If the strangers started asking questions, they could decide to go after me next. I could take care of myself, but I wasn't exactly itching to start a fight on purpose. I closed my eyes, remembering Rosalie's clear, white skin from earlier. I looked into Edward's topaz eyes, though I didn't particularly need a reminder about them. I had memorized them the day we had met.

Edward brought his cold lips to my forehead.

Then, we saw them. Like my vision, they emerged from the forest meters away from each other. This time, however, we were in the clearing and not the Cullen's front yard. Somehow, that made it worse. The Cullen home was comforting. The unfamiliarity of the clearing was not. I felt too exposed.

The blond man and the red-haired woman looked just as they had in my vision. They were still just as wildly beautiful, despite the shabby clothes. As they came closer together to each other, they let the dark-haired one take the lead. I furrowed my brows. He looked like their leader, but I knew he wasn't the one making the decisions.

Carlisle stepped forward to greet them with Emmett and Jasper next to him. I knew Edward wasn't going to leave my side unless he was forced. Alice did take a small step back to us, though, effectively putting the rest of her family between the three of us and the newcomers. She grabbed my hand comfortingly.

The woman was looking around crazily as if she was missing something. She looked the most reluctant of the three to be there. I was sure that if the blond had not been her mate, she wouldn't have been. She settled with tucking herself into the blond's side. His crimson eyes were calm and focused entirely on Alice.

My grip on her hand tightened. It was the first time I'd seen a vampire with red eyes. It was unnerving, to say the least.

"We thought we heard a game," began the dark-haired man with a slight French accent. "I'm Laurent. These are Victoria and James." Finally, I had names to match the faces.

"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward and Emme." Carlisle was careful not to call attention to neither me nor Alice. I didn't give myself the chance to focus on the fact that he had included me in his family. Instead, I dove into James' mind.

His thought's moved much faster than anyone's I had read to this point. Flashes of images between him, Victoria, and Kumboh appeared and disappeared just as quickly. I understood fragments of coherent thoughts that I both understood and didn't: _'my only failure,' 'it will come to a hunt,' _and '_blood singer' _among them. And then his thoughts shifted to what he wanted to do. Horrible images of Alice dead in different ways flit around his mind. He wanted revenge for escaping him so many years ago, and he didn't want this to be easy. He liked the hunt.

I stiffened at the images. The movement was microscopic, but it brought James' eyes to mine immediately. I froze, hoping he wouldn't focus on me for too long. He lingered only a moment before returning back to his prey.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent was asking, completely oblivious to what was happening. From his thoughts, I gathered that James and Victoria used him as a safety precaution—a scapegoat for anything that might go wrong. He was as unaware of their true nature as Carlisle was. Any hope for peace was gone the moment James laid eyes on Alice.

Carlisle's tone was still friendly, albeit stiff. "We were just finishing up, but we'd certainly be interested another time. Will you be in the area for long?"

Laurent shrugged, completely at ease. "Probably not. We were originally just passing through. We haven't met company in a long time."

I could feel Jasper manipulating the tenseness of the conversation, calming the mated newcomers. Carlisle nodded knowingly. "This area is generally empty apart from us. We keep a permanent residence nearby, and there is a similar one up in Denali."

James and Victoria shared a disgusted look at that statement.

To his credit, Laurent seemed genuinely shocked by Carlisle's words. "Permanent? How?"

"Why don't you come back to our home with us? We can speak more comfortably there. In the meantime, we would appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in the immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous. I'm sure you understand."

It took everything in me to let Carlisle play the peacemaker. I stopped listening to their conversation. James' thoughts were calculating now. He didn't want us to leave, but he knew there were more of us than there were of them. He was trying to decide how best to separate Alice from the rest of us; he didn't want to attack her without the numbers on his side. I rolled my eyes. It'd never happen.

The edges of my sight started to fade. My breathing quickened as I attempted to stop the oncoming vision to no avail.

_I held the phone in my hands, frozen and unable to press the end button. I could hear the dial tone ringing from the speaker. Emmett was by my side._

"_Woah, woah. You're not actually thinking about this, are you, Emme?" he asked incredulously. "If you just wait for—"_

_I cut him off, my voice frantic and rushed. "I'm not waiting, Emmett. I can't wait. There's not enough time."_

_He shook his head, grabbing me harshly by the shoulders. "I'm not going to let you walk into this alone. Its suicide for a—well someone that can die. Plus I would end up joining you cause Edward would kill me."_

_I winced, though, from his grip or the thought of Edward, I wasn't sure. "You don't have a choice." I grabbed his hands and shoved him off of me with telekinesis. I pushed past him._

_He blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly and moved to block my path again. He looked resolute._

"_I don't have time for this!" I hissed at him. "Please don't make me do something I'll regret."_

_Emmett's expression didn't change. "Edward will be here soon," he assured me._

_I closed my eyes and took a deep breath._

_Emmett staggered, blinking rapidly. His eyes were unfocused. "Emme…" His voice cracked. He fell to the floor._

"_I'm so sorry."_

_I walked into the makeshift baseball field. As I moved, the edges of my skin seemed to blur, and I left a trail of what seemed like smoke in my wake. It was as if I was burning from within and releasing the smoke with my movements. A chained necklace dripping with bones and stones sat around my neck. The effect was terrifying._

_I heard something and froze, turning to the forest behind me. My eyes were completely white, inhuman._

_James appeared out of the trees. "Hello, Emme." He slowly began towards me, a smirk plastered on his smug, pale face. "How good of you to meet me. Perhaps I'll make your death easier for you." His eyes flew over me, taking in my appearance. He frowned._

_When I spoke, my voice was my own, but it was laced with another, deeper voice. There was a familiar accent that I still couldn't quite place. "It seems we meet again."_

_James' facial expression changed instantaneously. He was disbelieving. He recognized the voice. "What are you?" he murmured._

_I'd never have been able to hear it without my current heightened senses. A slow smile spread across my face._

I blinked. A thrill shot through me as I recounted my vision. I knew exactly what I had to do.

I didn't have time to worry about my next step however, because, in a fraction of a second, James was crouched down, ready to attack. Edward met his crouch protectively in front of me. The hiss that came out of his mouth was nothing like the half-hearted warnings that I had heard him make before. This was different. It was feral and almost unhinged.

My eyes widened in realization. When I had gone into the vision, my glamour had faded. I looked like myself again. They knew I wasn't a vampire.

Carlisle immediately stepped forward. "She's with us."

Laurent looked incredulously between the Cullens and me. "You brought a snack?" he asked, trying to make sense of the situation. Neither Edward nor James had moved, but a growl ripped from Edward's throat at the mention of eating me. I couldn't say I enjoyed the thought either.

Laurent stepped backward at the noise, still confused.

"She's with us," Carlisle repeated, voice harder now.

"But she's human!" Laurent exclaimed, astounded.

I bristled at the assumption, but now wasn't the time to be politically correct. I stepped forward next to Edward, placing a hand on his shoulder. He remained tense and crouched, but made no move to stop me. I knew that he would prefer me to be anywhere else in the world at this moment, and now he was getting increasingly anxious as to what I would do. I looked Laurent dead in the eyes as white clouded my vision. "_I'm not human. I'm just like you._"

Laurent blinked slowly. "No… of course you are… I suppose I was mistaken."

James straightened faster than I could follow, red eyes narrowing on me. '_Just like the old man.'_ Victoria, evidently deciding that the odds were not in their favor at the moment, grabbed him by the hand. He refused to budge for only a moment. Then, they were gone before anyone could even think about making another move.

Laurent looked after them, confused. "I apologize for that. Of course you wouldn't have a human with you. I'm unsure about them, but I would still like to accept your invitation."

Carlisle stared at him, probably trying to read his trustworthiness. Edward straightened hesitantly and gave Carlisle the slightest of nods. "We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" Carlisle called.

Edward, Emmett, and Alice flocked to my side immediately. We would not be returning to the Cullen home with the rest of them. We walked back to the edge of the forest, careful not to draw Laurent's attention back to us. The second we were in the trees and out of his view, however, Edward scooped me up and began running. I could tell he was moving faster than he normally did. I could also tell he was furious, though I wasn't sure if it was because of me or James or the situation we were in. Most likely, it was all three.

We arrived at the Cullen home in record time. Emmett's Jeep was still parked in the drive. Edward practically tossed me into the backseat. Emmett opened the opposite door at the same time. He managed to catch me before I fell out of the other side. He climbed in beside me, looking more menacing than I had ever seen him. It didn't suit him at all. Still, I was thankful for the fact that he was on our side.

Alice slid into the passenger seat. Edward started the car, and we tore off down the drive. When we hit the main road, Edward pushed the engine harder than I thought it could handle.

It was silent for a moment. I wasn't sure where Edward was taking us. I didn't get a chance to look into James' mind after my vision, so he probably knew something that I did not. I began to doubt using magic in front of him, though if it had distracted him from going after Alice, I couldn't bring myself to regret it. At least she would be safe.

"Where are we going?" I asked, finally breaking the silence.

Edward ignored me, pushing the car even faster.

"Edward." My voice was stronger now with an icy edge. I didn't particularly enjoy being ignored. "What's happening?"

"We have to get you away from here. Now."

I snorted. "Absolutely not. Tell me what's going on."

"James has decided to change targets for the time being," Edward spit out.

I sucked in a breath. I wasn't exactly shocked by this, but it was no less unnerving to hear. After all, Alice was the only one to ever escape him. "Stop the car."

"No."

"Stop the car now, Edward!" I demanded, louder this time. "Running away isn't going to help anything."

"You don't know that," he hissed.

"Actually, I do." My visions played in my mind again. I didn't know why I'd been so adamant about facing James by myself. I knew it would be for a good reason. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Something was wrong.

Edward flashed me a hard look. "It doesn't matter. I'm not letting him anywhere near him."

"It isn't up to you!" I yelled, frustrated.

"Just pull over, Edward. We need to talk this through," Alice said, sounding oddly calm.

"No!" I'd never heard him so loud before—or so angry.

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't want to make you, Edward, but I will if I have to."

He shook his head. "You don't understand, Emme. He's a tracker."

Emmett stiffened next to me. Alice's head whipped towards Edwards. I wasn't exactly sure what a tracker was, but it obviously wasn't anything good.

Edward continued. "When you went into your vision, your glamour disappeared. He knew you weren't one of us. And then when he saw me defend you like that—" Edward hit the steering wheel. A piece of it broke off, but luckily it didn't affect the car. "Tracking is his obsession. He knows you'll be a challenge, because of how I reacted and what you did. He's probably already following your scent."

The feeling in my stomach worsened a tenfold. I didn't want to be right about this. "That will lead him straight to my aunts. You would have me abandon them?" I was furious that he thought I would be okay with that.

"She's right," Alice agreed.

Edward slammed on the brakes with a groan. He screeched to a halt on the side of the highway. In our haste to leave, I had forgotten to put on my seatbelt. I would have flown forward if Emmett hadn't have had the foresight to throw an arm out in front of me. His arm was just as hard as Edward's.

"He's no match for us, Edward. He won't be able to touch her," Emmett assured his brother.

"He'll wait."

Emmett shrugged. "Then so will we."

"I have an idea," I cut in.

Edward shook his head, ignoring me entirely once again. "If we want him to stop, we'd have to kill him."

I tried again. "Then that's exactly what we're going to do."

The three of them stopped their bickering and looked at me incredulously.

"There is no 'we,' Emme," Edward stated, exasperated.

I glared at him. "I swear to the skies, Edward," I hissed, moving on from annoyed to fully angry now. "I understand that you're worried and anxious and afraid and whatever else. I am too. But if you think for one second that you get to make all the decisions in this relationship, _especially_ something that directly affects me, then you have a big storm coming. I may not be as old as you are, but I'm not stupid. I have resources that you don't—resources that you're going to need if you want this to have a happy ending. Just because I want to help does _not _mean that I want to sacrifice myself." The electricity in the Jeep flickered. "I'll be _damned_ if you think you can force me to abandon my _family_ in order to save myself." The storm had picked up again. The rain fell heavily around us. It was entirely my doing.

The car was silent, but I wasn't finished.

"I may not know as much about vampires as you do, but I _do_ know more about James and Victoria. I know what they've done, and I think I have an idea of what they're going to do. Most importantly, I know how we can stop them."

Edward closed his eyes, trying to calm down. I recognized the motions. It was something I had done often.

"You're right. I apologize." His voice was soft, but his eyes were determined. "You should get a say," he narrowed his eyes at me "as long as you're being reasonable."

I rolled my eyes.

"What do you know?" he finished.

I nodded, accepting his apology easily. "I saw it in my vision. It's going to come to a fight." I tried not to add in an 'I told you so.' It was true, but it wasn't anyone's fault that Carlisle wanted to try to talk to them first; it was part of what made him such a genuinely good person. I also refrained from telling him that he wouldn't be there for it. "If it wasn't about me, then it would have been about Alice. She's the only one that's ever escaped him. And there's only one person that has ever been enough to stand in his way."

Edward was quick to catch up. "The demon you summoned?"

I nodded. "He knows how to fight them—he probably would have killed James the first time had he not been outnumbered. But he also knows his weakness. We might have the numbers now, but James isn't a fool. He's exceptionally good at what he does. He'll wait until he has the high ground. So, I propose that we go back to my house. I can summon Kumboh and find out what he knows. Then, we can use the knowledge to lead James into a trap."

I was lucky Jasper wasn't here to sense the guilt I was feeling. I wasn't lying when I told Edward that I didn't plan on being a martyr—I knew my plan would work. It wasn't technically self-sacrificing if you didn't die. Hopefully, this wouldn't blow up in my face—although I supposed that if it did, I wouldn't be around to face the consequences of my actions. The thought didn't comfort me.

Edward was obviously skeptical, but Emmett looked impressed. "That's not a bad idea, actually."

Alice was scanning the future. "I don't see him attacking all of us, Edward. He's smarter than that. I think Emme is right."

I relaxed in relief I didn't realize I'd been tense. Since I hadn't officially decided anything, Alice couldn't see what I was planning.

Edward let out a defeated but accepting sigh before throwing the Jeep back into drive and sharply turning the car back towards town.

I looked at Alice. "Will I have enough time to summon Kumboh before James arrives?"

Her eyes grew unfocused. When she tuned back in, she looked wary. "He's going to be at your house. He wants to learn more about you before he makes any decisions."

I thought it over. James couldn't know that I was summoning Kumboh to learn his weaknesses. "I think you should go to your family, Edward."

His reaction was immediate. "I'm not leaving you."

"Just listen," I snapped. "I'll give Alice a potion that will make her look like me. The two of you will go back to your house. You'll be with your family. James wouldn't dare attack all of you, and he won't bother staying at my place either because he'll think I'm going with you."

"I'm not going to leave you unprotected," he insisted, though I could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"Emmett will stay with me. And I'll have my aunts. Then when I get the information, all I have to do is call you. You and your family can lead him on a wild goose chase that leads to his demise. I won't be in harm's way, and I can keep an eye on my aunts. It's a win for everyone." I silently pleaded that Emmett wouldn't object to playing babysitter. I think he liked me well enough that he didn't mind because he didn't say anything.

Edward pressed his eyes shut.

"I think it'll work, Edward," Alice whispered.

He looked pained, but he didn't have to think about it long. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "But if anything—_anything_—goes wrong, I'm coming for you. I mean it. And I know how much magic you've used tonight. If you push yourself too hard or put yourself in harm's way, I will personally hold you responsible."

I grinned half-heartedly, thinking immediately about all my instances of magical depletion and the Port Angeles incident. "I've never put myself in harm's way a day in my life."

Edward evidently remembered as well. He snorted.

We sped back in silence until Alice let out a small gasp. Edward looked to her sharply, horror drawing across his normally lovely features.

I felt nauseous.

Alice turned back to me, her face miserable. "I'm so sorry, Emme—it was a split decision, and I didn't see it… I didn't know…" She trailed off, looking towards the future again.

We pulled in front of my house, climbing quickly out of the car and dashing into the house.

Aunt Isolde was waiting on the front porch.

I leaped from the Jeep as soon as it stopped, rushing up to her. The others kept pace with me, but I didn't notice them. Instead, I saw my aunt's ashen and slack face. I knew what had happened. I had to ask anyway. "Blair?"

Isolde shook her head lamely, lips pressed together in a thin line. "I don't know. It happened too fast. The crystals didn't react," she mumbled.

I let myself worry for one moment more before focusing on the hot fury that began to burn through my veins. I would curse this vampire when I got my hands on him. I didn't know if it was painful for vampires to die or not, but I was sure I would figure out a way to make it happen for him. James would be eternally sorry that he had ever come in contact with me—I would make sure of it.

"Emme?" I heard Edward say softly.

He had grabbed my hand. I focused on his skin on mine. I realized I was shaking.

"Is she in shock?" Alice asked, clearly worried.

I shook my head. "No. I'm fine. This changes nothing."

Alice furrowed her brow. "But—"

I interrupted her. "No. You take the potion and go after James and Blair. Get her back. I'll stay and do what I can from here. We _need_ to talk to Kumboh. If we don't, I don't think we'll be able to get him to face us anytime soon. And by then it would be too late."

The Cullens exchanged looks with each other. I ignored it.

Isolde led us into the kitchen without a word. She rummaged in the potion cupboard for a moment before holding out a bottle to Alice.

Alice stepped forward and took it without hesitation. She uncorked the bottle.

"Wait."

The small girl looked at me, confused. "Are you sure you're okay with this? You'll look like me. James will be after you again."

"She's right, Al. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Alice's lips curled back into the most ferocious snarls I'd heard from a vampire yet. It sent shivers down my spine. No one questioned her again.

She downed the contents of the bottle in one gulp. It took a moment, but her features slowly began to remold into mine. Her black hair grew longer and lighter into a shade of dark brown. Her round face became oval. Her eyes shifted from golden to butterscotch. Her frame became taller—curvier. She breathed deeply, steadying herself.

I'd prepared the potion myself as part of my trial, but I'd never tried it or seen it work myself. I was only glad it worked on vampires.

Finally, an exact double was standing in the kitchen.

Emmett broke the silence. "This is so weird. We're already weird and this is _weird_."

Alice's butterscotch eyes shifted to me. She pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm sorry about pulling you into this," she mumbled in my voice. "It's my fault."

I pulled away, shaking my head. "It's definitely mine, but even if it wasn't, you'd be worth it."

She smiled a smile that was entirely too familiar.

Edward gave me a significant look, taking me into his arms. He placed a kiss on my forehead. "It'll be okay. We'll get her back. Call us when you find out what the demon knows."

I nodded, holding onto him for just a moment longer than I had intended. Finally, I stepped away. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but I didn't know anything. Magic was as unpredictable as life. I didn't know if I would see Edward again. I just had to try my hardest to make sure that we both had someone to come back to. I already knew he would be doing the same.

Edward took Alice's—my—hand in his. Then they were gone.

I glanced at Isolde. She had taken a sunk into the chair in the corner. Isolde and Blair were twins; their connection was potent, even for witches. I couldn't imagine what she must be going through, and I could feel some of it with my empathy. I had to get Blair back, for both of our sakes. We would have to work fast.

"Everything is set up in the study," Isolde muttered. Her voice was lifeless. "We—" she took a shaky breath. "I can't help you…"

Of course she couldn't, the way her emotions were going at the moment. Even all the strength of a Septe couldn't stop you from the raw feelings when someone you loved was in danger.

"You don't have to worry about me," I assured her. "I can do this."

I led Emmett out of the kitchen and across the house to the study. I could tell he wanted to ask me something, but was holding back. "What is it?"

He gave me a look. "How did she know?"

"She just did. They both probably did," I shrugged. "My aunts are basically my version of Alice, but much more cryptic."

He nodded, a look of understanding dawning across his features.

When we arrived in the study, I noticed that the room was set up for invocation, but also that the vincula mortis was on the desk, ready for use. I made my way to it and clasped it around my neck immediately. The necklace was made of heavy, crisscrossing gold chains. Hanging from it in various spots were five bones. When I had first learned about the necklace from the Council when I lived in Salem, I had assumed they were a mix of human and witch bones. Now, though, I knew better. Living in Forks and learning through my aunts, the Cullens, and even Jacob Black had opened my eyes to a much bigger world than I had ever imagined. The five bones were from each of the five creatures of Earth: human, witch, vampire, shape-shifter, and werewolf. The necklace was also beaded with various small stones that would help with the containment of spirits—celestite, crystal and smoky quartz, onyx, and kyanite to name a few.

The necklace was heavier than I imagined it would be. The weight of what I was about to do was heavier. I brushed it off. I knew what might happen, but what might _not_ happen was much more frightening.

I knelt next to the circle. Everyone I cared about had been brought into this. This wasn't Blair's fight. It wasn't even Edward's or Alice's or any of the other Cullen's. It wasn't even mine.

It was Kumboh's. And I was going to give him the chance to finish what he started.

I turned back to Emmett, who was watching me intently. "You ready to summon a demon?"

* * *

_A/N:_

_Heyyy all... remember me?_

_I am so sorry for how long you had to wait for this. I have no excuse other than the fact that IT WAS SO HARD TO DO. I must have written this damn chapter at least 7 times, unsure of where to take it, before finally giving up. So I took a week off. Then tonight, I had the PERFECT idea that fixed everything that was wrong and took this chapter where I wanted it to go lol. Funny how things work out. Thank you to everyone who continued to read/follow/review/favorite in my absence. You're the only reason I didn't throw my computer out the window :)_

_Anyway, I hope that this is worth the wait. I didn't edit it as much as I usually do because I was sick of looking at it, so please let me know if there are any mistakes that I didn't notice. I hope the next update will be sooner, but I am reluctant to end this story so I'm really dragging my feet haha. We're soooo close though!_

_Until next time!_


	21. Chapter 20: Defeat

_Trigger warning: violence_

* * *

I noticed the crystals that my aunts had chosen for the circle were less about protection this time and more about guiding the spirit and heightening my abilities. That was good. Right now, protection wasn't exactly what I was going for.

I ran through the invocation steps to make sure that I had everything I needed. Summoning a demon and then going up against a vampire would likely take a lot of magic, and I wasn't sure how much help I'd have… if any. Not only that, but I had used quite a bit today already—so much more than I usually did. When I first moved to Forks and began learning magic, I had been afraid to overexert myself; I actively shied away from my powers. It hardly mattered to me now. My magic was a part of me, and it had brought me closer to the people that I loved. I'd still have to be careful. I was already tired, and I still had a lot to do. It would be even more difficult without my aunts' help.

Emmett shifted uncomfortably out of the corner of my eye.

I ran a hand through my hair. I didn't know what would happen between us after this. If my vision came to pass, I hoped he'd forgive me.

"Don't worry," I reassured him. "This part is easy. Just make sure you don't go anywhere near the circle—especially not in it, okay?"

"Why not?"

"The closer you get, the closer your energy is to the spirits'. Entering the circle or breaking it and letting the spirit out is how possessions happen."

Emmett muttered something under his breath. I only caught something about _The Exorcist_ before he was cut off by the buzzing of his cell phone. He answered it in a flash. Emmett didn't say anything as the person on the other line spoke. His dark eyes glanced at me. "I'll let her know." He hung up.

"What is it?"

"Carlisle and Esme are escorting Laurent from our territory. They're going to introduce him to the Denali coven to keep him out of the way. They should be back in a few hours. Rose is taking Alice to our place in Chicago to lay low for a bit. The potion wore off on Ali almost as soon as they left town."

My eyebrows knit together. It was odd for that potion to wear off so quickly, but I'd never known anyone that had used it on a vampire before. I made a mental note to look into it further if we made it through this. I looked back up to Emmett. "Edward and Jasper?"

"They're going after James and Victoria to see if they can get your aunt back." He must have seen the look on my face, because he followed that bit of news very quickly with, "They're just tracking them. They're going to wait for Carlisle and Esme to get back before they approach them. Edward just wanted eyes on your aunt."

It should have made me feel better, but it didn't. I didn't like the idea of everyone being split up, no matter how much it made sense. When I told Edward to go back to his family, I thought they would have stayed together. I had to trust that Carlisle, Edward, and Alice wouldn't lead the rest astray. I comforted myself with the fact that it was quite logical and no one would be by themselves.

I took a deep breath, running my fingers through my hair. "I'm going to go take an energy potion before I do this. I'll be right back."

Emmett nodded. "I'm gonna run the perimeter, just to be safe."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I smirked at Emmett's eagerness to get out of the house and do something. I could tell he was a little annoyed that he wasn't on the hunt after James and Victoria. He definitely didn't seem at ease in my house; his size made him seem like a bull in a china shop.

I went back into the kitchen with the intent of downing every last energy potion we had. The first thing I noticed was that Isolde was gone. Hopefully she was upstairs resting. I could feel her magic nearby, so I knew she was safe at least. I chugged down two bottles of potion. We weren't supposed to drink more than one a day—it had addictive properties. I felt I could make an exception just this once considering the circumstances.

I was about to return to the study when the phone rang. It was loud and shrill. Everything in me was screaming for me to ignore it, but I knew I had to answer it. I knew it was going to be important.

I brought the receiver up to my ear. I didn't have to say hello. The man on the other line knew exactly when the line was connected.

"That was a clever trick, Emme."

James' cold voice froze me in my tracks.

"I know you're still in Forks. I know your _friends_ are all otherwise occupied. And I have your aunt." He spat the word 'friends' as if it were something disgusting. A relationship between a vampire like Edward and a mortal like me probably was disgusting in his eyes.

"Meet me at the clearing—alone—in thirty minutes or she's dead." The connection ended.

Emmett was suddenly by my side. He looked down at me, concerned. He had heard the last bit of the conversation. I met his eyes. He knew immediately what was running through my mind. "Woah, woah. You're not actually thinking about this, are you, Emme?" he asked incredulously. "If you just wait for—"

I cut him off, my voice frantic and rushed. "I'm not waiting, Emmett. I can't wait. There's not enough time." I didn't know how far away the other Cullens were, and even if I did, James said they were otherwise occupied. I didn't know what that meant, but it couldn't mean anything good.

Emmett shook his head, grabbing me harshly by the shoulders. "I'm not going to let you walk into this alone. Its suicide for a—well, for someone that can die. Plus, I would just end up going with you cause Edward would kill me if I didn't."

I winced, though, from his grip or the thought of Edward, I wasn't sure. I had seen myself going to the clearing to meet James before we made our plan to split up, but I was hoping that there would be more to the vision than I could see. When I told Edward I didn't want to sacrifice myself, I meant it. I didn't want to, but if it was the only way to get my aunt back, I would do it. I hoped I would be powerful enough to stop him, but I wasn't so sure now. He had evaded the Cullens and taken my aunt—a full Septe—and was still holding her somehow. Regardless, I had no intention of missing the deadline. "You don't have a choice." I grabbed his hands and shoved him off of me with telekinesis so I could push past him.

Emmett wasn't expecting that sort of strength coming from me. He blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly and moved to block my path once again. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was resolute.

So was I. "I don't have time for this!" I hissed at him. "Please don't make me do something I'll regret." I already knew I would have to stun him. That didn't mean that I wanted to, though.

Emmett's expression didn't change, though I could see the doubt in his eyes. "Edward'll be here soon," he assured me.

I closed my eyes, remembering what it felt like when my power exploded from my body the day we were blood typing in biology. This time though, I focused all my efforts on Emmett. He fought surprisingly hard against the magic.

I pushed harder until he fell to the floor, unmoving. Emmett wasn't unconscious—that was impossible for vampires. But he would be indisposed long enough for me to summon Kumboh and at least get a head start back towards the clearing. His phone began buzzing in his pocket once again. I ignored it.

I didn't give myself any time to think about the fact that I had just used my powers against a friend. Instead, I ran to the study, falling to my knees next to the circle. I had to make this quick.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco."

The lights in the room went out. Silence fell in the room and throughout the house. The cell phone had stopped vibrating.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco," I repeated, hurriedly.

The energy in the room crackled. It hummed through my body and in the circle. The candle wick lit and burned with a flame was much larger than it should have been if it were lit normally.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco!" My voice was strong. I couldn't let myself feel anything other than strength, despite wanting to. I pulled Alice's heirloom earrings out of my pocket. I hadn't given them back to her after I had used them to scry. I had forgotten all about them. But since I was summoning someone specific, I needed a memento. Kumboh had stolen these earrings; they were now connected to him as much as her. I recalled everything that I had learned about, clutching the earrings tightly in my fist.

The smoke billowed and began to take shape with Kumboh's now-familiar form. I still had to finish the incantation before he would fully appear, however.

"Peto te apparere."

The smoke became almost opaque as Kumboh looked at me, face filled with concern.

"Did you find her?" he asked immediately.

"I don't have time to explain. Mary Brandon is safe—she goes by Alice now. James isn't after him anymore. Now he's after me. I wanted you to tell us how to defeat him—his weaknesses. Now I'm on my own."

Kumboh's expression grew alarmed as he took in my words until finally, he settled on understanding. "You want me to join you," he murmured deep in thought. "Are you quite certain there is no other way?"

"If there is, I don't have time to figure it out. He has my aunt. I have 15 minutes to meet him before he kills her."

Despite the fact that his eyes were glowing white, I could still see the apprehension in them. He would help me. "Come here, pitit mwen."

With a deep breath, I did exactly what I had told Emmett not to do: I stepped into the circle.

The effect was immediate. I had never been possessed before nor did I know anyone who had; I didn't know what it would feel like. It was unsettling. My entire body was boiling as if I was burning from the inside. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. My mind was filled with my own thoughts, but also unfamiliar ones. I could feel Kumboh in my consciousness. I was being shared with another entity.

More than that though, Kumboh was sharing _me_.

He had been a vampire when he was alive. His memories, his heightened senses, his speed and strength… I had access to all of it now. And I knew exactly how I was going to use it.

'_Let's go, little one.'_ His voice was strong in my mind.

We took off running. I had thought that running with Edward was invigorating, but this was entirely on another level. I wasn't tired or pained; I was flying. We grinned. Kumboh had forgotten what it was like to have a solid form in our realm, and he took advantage of the fact that he had temporary access to both.

We arrived at the clearing faster than I ever could have by myself. Every time I moved, the edges of my body blurred with what looked like smoke. I had somehow managed to rip a hole in the side of my loaned sweater and at the knee of my jeans. My hair was a tangled mess that fell limply to my waist. I was positive there were twigs in it from the run here. I knew my eyes would be a solid white, just like in my vision. I hoped the effect would be intimidating, but knowing what I did of James, I doubted it.

A snap of a twig turned our attention to the forest behind us.

James appeared out of the trees. "Hello, Emme." He slowly began towards me, a smirk plastered on his smug, pale face. He was a predator in the truest sense of the word. I was undeniably his prey. "How good of you to meet me—and so quickly too! Perhaps I'll make your death easier for you." His eyes flew over me, taking in my appearance. He frowned. James knew something was off.

When I spoke, my voice was my own, but it was laced with another, deeper voice. There was a familiar accent to it. I couldn't quite place it before, but from Kumboh's thoughts I learned it was a mixture of his original Kush accent mixed with his newfound Creole one. "_It seems we meet again_."

James' facial expression changed instantaneously. He was confused and disbelieving. James didn't seem like the type of person to confuse easily. I could feel his infuriation from across the clearing. He recognized the voice and looked at me intently. "What are you?" he murmured.

I'd never have been able to hear his words without my current heightened senses. A slow smile spread across my face. He didn't know what I was. He hadn't figured it out. We had that going for us at least.

He seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts. "No matter. This was much easier than I thought it'd be. It'll be over quickly."

"_I highly doubt that_," we scoffed. "_Where is your mate? I've looked forward to ripping her head from her body for the last 80 some years now. I never thought I'd get the chance."_

James scowled, growling at the mention of Victoria's decapitation. "I killed you once, old man. I'll do it again."

"_You can try_."

The hunter looked at us again, hoping to gather more information before he made his move. We let him, unbothered. He obviously didn't know how Kumboh and I inhabited the same body, but he was smart enough to realize we were. "I must admit, you are full of surprises, Emme. Victoria knew something was off with you the moment you changed in front of us. It took until you manipulated Laurent for me to realize the same. It was just like he tried to do so long ago. How did you do it?"

We shrugged. "I'm a witch."

Surprise flickered across his features, hardly noticeable in the night. I never would have seen without Kumboh's eyes. "Fascinating. I can see now why that coven was so protective of you. They were easy enough to get rid of though. I barely had to lift a finger. Victoria and I easily found your home. We waited, hoping you would return. In the end, we decided that it would be easier if you came to me instead. Your aunt was easy enough to take. They were both asleep. They didn't even have time to notice that we were there."

"_Where is she?_" we snarled, crouching as if to pounce. It was a fluid motion; it felt natural. Kumboh was a protector.

James smirked. He spoke as if he were recounting the weather instead of what he did with Aunt Blair. "We had her with us for a while. It was easy enough to tell that two of the coven got rid of Laurent and one of them was taking you to a safe house. Victoria and I planned to follow and use your aunt as bait. But then it wasn't really you, Emme, was it? I must admit I was surprised when you turned into my prey from all those years ago… the only one that ever escaped. Thanks to you I suppose."

This time, he was speaking to Kumboh, who answered in kind. "_Perhaps you are not as good as you think you are._"

That seemed to amuse James. He began to pace freely and carefree. "I won't pretend to understand your obsession with her, old man, but wherever you hid her, she was safe. I couldn't even hear the screams—she probably didn't even notice the pain. She was so miserable as a human already. Just think: a couple of hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake! She got off lucky at the asylum. I'd always wanted to find her again and finish the job. I knew it would happen one day, though I was still surprised to see her here. I guess her coven out to be able to derive some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim that escaped me… quite an honor, actually. I do regret that I never got to taste her. She smelled much better than you do. You barely smell at all, though I know you will taste much better than I could even imagine…" He trailed off wistfully.

We narrowed our eyes. How would he know that?

"I'm not sure what made us do it. It was just a hunch. I usually get a sixth sense, if you will, about the prey that I'm hunting. I always listen. Your aunt fought admirably with whatever magic I'm assuming you possess. She held us off until she couldn't anymore. When she fell unconscious we drained her."

The storm came out of nowhere. The wind was howling. Lightning and thunder flashed so often that the light made it easy to see, bathing us both in white.

We screamed. Kumboh was both trying to comfort me and urge me to act, but I couldn't bring myself to move. The pain was unimaginable. I knew James was telling the truth.

Aunt Blair was dead.

James smiled, putting his white teeth on full display. His eyes flashed bright, crimson red. "It was the best thing I have ever tasted. And even better—I'm stronger than I have ever been, even as a newborn. And so is Victoria. Your mate and his friend had begun tracking us. Victoria volunteered to take care of them while I came back for you. I thought it might be hard to convince you to part from your bodyguard. I could have taken you by force if I had to what with all this extra strength, but you saved me the hassle. I don't know how long it will last… but then again, I'll have you to consume as well when all is said and done." He slowly began to move towards me, a smirk still plastered on his arrogant, pale face. He was a predator in the truest sense of the word. I was undeniably his prey.

"_Pull yourself together, girl. We must defeat him_." I felt sick. My aunt was killed. It was my fault. Edward and Jasper were fighting for their lives. It was my fault. I stunned Emmett. It was my fault. Everything was my fault.

We looked at James, and I knew I was staring death in the face. With my aunt's blood, he was stronger than the average vampire; we could sense it. I didn't know if he was stronger than us, but with the amount of magic I had used recently, I had a feeling it might kill me if I tried to defeat him.

I hated him. He ruined everything. Worse, he put everyone I cared about in danger.

I'd never had confidence in my powers before. With how I was raised, I'd never been able to. But now, despite my imminent demise, I couldn't help but feel a bit proud of myself. I'd been proud of my family name and its legacy, but not of me. I'd never been able to take James on before moving to Forks. I wasn't a Septe, but I was still powerful.

He would kill me, but I would destroy him. I only hoped Edward would forgive me.

He moved in a flash. If Kumboh hadn't been with me, I never would have been able to follow his movements. We didn't try to run. We narrowed our eyes, as Kumboh took over my movements. James reached out with his fist, aiming for my chest. Our hand flew out and caught it before it could connect. We took his arm with both of our hands and flung him as hard as we could across the clearing.

James soared, landing in a perfect crouch. He didn't stop. He was up in a flash, coming at us again. We didn't wait either and took off running to meet him. We jumped, meeting James in the air. Our bodies hit with an incredible crash that the storm still raging around us easily covered.

We flew backward, twisting instinctively and landing crouched on the balls of my feet. James charged at us again. He swung his fist, which we blocked with our forearm. We held him and ducked under his outstretched arm to step behind him. We lifted our leg and landed a kick in the center of his back. It sent him flying across the clearing. We followed immediately. We didn't want to give him any time to think, and I could feel myself tiring.

James whirled around, catching us by surprise. He was fast. We didn't have time to duck. His fist connected with our jaw, sending us to the ground hard. He was over us in an instant. We rolled out of the way as he brought his foot down where our head had just been. Then, James was over us again. We brought our leg up, catching him in the back. He was sent off balance. We took advantage of it to kick his feet out from under him and jump to our feet. We crouched above him, holding him tight by the throat.

"_Not so easy when there is only one of you, is it, Kalmason?_" we spit. Kumboh was a skilled fighter. He had been good enough to hold off both James and Victoria for three days. He was still skilled now.

But with witch blood, James was stronger. He grabbed our wrist and yanked us down. He caught us in the side with his knee as we fell. We tumbled across the clearing. James towered above us, his foot on our throat. "No," he mused. "It's easier." He pushed.

We spluttered for breath. Kumboh didn't need air, but I did. I might have his strength, but we were still in my body. We grabbed for his ankle and pulled.

That only made him push harder. James chuckled, wiping the water off of his pallid face. "I must admit, Emme. I didn't expect you to put up such a good fight. I'll be sure to let your boyfriend know. Edward, isn't it?"

We let out a strangled cry, desperately clawing at his leg.

James' red eyes shone with glee. "I want him to avenge you. I'll hunt him next. I'll hunt the whole coven if I have to. I won't be defeated again."

I was so tired. Our hand fell into the chilled mud that we were being pushed into. It would be so easy to just stop fighting. If I was gone, everyone else could just go back to their normal lives. Edward would be safe. The edges of our vision began to blacken.

'_This is not your fate, pitit mwen._'

Kumboh was right. I could feel it in my bones. Now was not the time to die. I didn't want to leave Isolde alone. I didn't want to leave Edward. I couldn't leave Edward.

James and Kumboh were too evenly matched. They were both vampires with incredible abilities. But I had spent too much time already depending entirely on Kumboh. I needed his strength, but I had power of my own.

We let the pure anger and hatred that we held towards James consume us. We screeched, letting out such a raw burst of furious magic that it sent James flying. We gasped, taking in as much air as we could. It only took a moment to recover. Then, we went after our prey.

James made to run out toward us again, but we threw out our arm, stopping him in his tracks. He let out a snarl. White began to cloud our vision. "_Stop._"

James stopped. He seemed dazed, but we could still see the ferocity in his eyes. He was trying to fight off our command. He might have been able to do it too, but not soon enough. We sauntered up to him, staring directly into his scarlet eyes. "_I am a prince of Nobatia. You gave me the gift of death. It is time I returned the gesture… ày ìkkà ìn sàllìr tèèr_." Kumboh reached out and ripped his arm from his body.

The hunter turned prey snarled, completely feral. He might have resembled a human, but all sense of humanity and false decorum that he had displayed until this point was gone. He sprang at us.

We held him with magic again. I fought through the exhaustion and drew on Kumboh's strength. We raised our free hand and jerked it, effectively ripping off James' other arm. He screamed with an unadulterated rage that sent a shiver down my spine.

We staggered. Spots began to dance in my vision. The storm that had been raging around us was slowly dying down as my magic slipped from my grasp. I couldn't hold it anymore. I didn't have anything left. With one last burst of energy, we pushed James to his knees. We glared down at him, still holding him with the last of my powers. He met our eyes. "_You should have left her alone. You should have left all of us alone. Et verba mea: Your spirit will never rest. It will be haunted by your failure for all eternity. That shall be your curse."_

Then, we reached out and entwined my fingers into his muddy blond hair. With a snarl, we ripped his head from his shoulders.

James' body fell to the ground. We tossed his head onto the pile next to his other limbs. It took everything I had in me to ignite what was left of the vampire. I collapsed next to the flames, staring at them without really seeing.

It was eerily quiet. I didn't know if it was real or if it was just my senses slipping away.

Kumboh's voice echoed in my mind. It was the last thing I heard before my world went black.

'_Thank you._'

* * *

_A/N:_

_Ahhhhhhhhhh! I literally CANNOT believe I finally made it to this! I have had this scene planned in my head since the prologue, and though the way we got here changed half a dozen times, this particular confrontation always stayed the same. I am garbage at writing fight scenes, so I hope you'll forgive me for that lol._

_A quick note on the languages I use in this story... a lot of Emme's magic is done in Latin. The translations are self-explanatory and unimportant enough that I haven't really added them in. The two languages in this chapter aren't as common, though, so I figured you guys might want to know what they were. Kumboh speaks in Haitian Creole (calling Emme "my child") and ancient Kush (telling James he offers him a prayer basically). I speak neither of these languages (nor do I speak Latin for that matter) so I apologize if they're wrong, but I wanted to use them to flesh out Kumboh's character._

_Anyway, please please please let me know what you guys think! This was the big climactic fight, and now we really just have some resolution left before this fic is complete! I am super insecure about this chapter in particular for some reason, but as long as someone enjoys it, then I'll be happy :)_

_Until next time!_


	22. Chapter 21: The Raven

Everything was dark.

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I wanted to, but no matter how hard I tried, I remained floating through the darkness.

I could hear something in the distance. It was calling something. The voice sounded familiar, but I didn't know who it was. I didn't know anything, so I focused on the voice, trying to understand what it was saying.

"Emme!"

A jolt shot through me; it felt as if I had been doused in freezing cold water.

The voice—a smooth tenor… a man's?—was begging now. "No. No! Please… please, Emme! Listen to me! You have to come back. You have to—" The pleas receded to broken sobs.

Something was very wrong.

The darkness was pressing against me again, but I fought against it. I was tired and confused, but I knew I wanted desperately to comfort the voice. The sounds the man was making shook me to my core. My heart was breaking. I wanted to console him. He shouldn't be like this.

Was it my fault?

I didn't know.

I couldn't breathe. I gasped, desperate for air.

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't!" the voice howled. "Just help her! I don't—I don't know what to do!"

I wished I could do something. I wished I could tell him everything would be okay. I didn't know if it would be, but every fiber of my being wanted to take his pain away. I had to get to him.

Who was he?

A face flashed through my mind. Pale skin, smooth and unblemished. Disheveled bronze hair. Bright, careful topaz eyes. A charmingly crooked smile.

I knew who he was.

_Edward_.

I had to get to him!

I was too weak. I struggled against the darkness, spurred to action by his cries. My body wasn't listening to me, though every part of it ached to do something—anything.

_Suddenly, my vision was flooded with bright light. I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to it. As the scene before me became clearer, I became more confused._

_I was lying on the ground, the upper half of my body cradled in Edward's arms as he clutched me to his chest. I was pale—as pale as Edward, even—and gaunt. I looked dead, but I knew I wasn't. I was still here, but I wasn't in my body._

_I brought my arm up in front of my face and examined it. I sucked in breath after noticing that I could see straight through it. Much like when Kumboh possessed me, it looked as if it was smoking and was blurred, although this time my arm was fully transparent when it should have been solid._

_A cry pulled me from my self-examination._

"Oh no…" _Alice fell to her knees beside my body, opposite Edward. She took my hand in hers._

_It was only then that I realized there were others standing around me. Emmett sat a few feet away, legs sprawled in front of him and his head in his hands. Rosalie crouched next to him murmuring in a soothing tone that was much too low for me to make out. Jasper stood behind Alice, a hand on her shoulder but eyes on my body. A fire blazed bright behind us._

"Her heart is still beating," _Jasper said. He probably meant it to be reassuring. It wasn't._

_I lowered myself to the ground next to Edward. I had to talk to him. 'I'm here. I'm okay.'_

_He didn't move. He didn't register my words—or Jasper's for that matter—in any way. Edward couldn't hear me. None of them could. I didn't know what was going on._

'_Edward,' I pleaded desperately._

_Nothing._

_Rosalie was crouched over me now. _"Lay her down," _she demanded._

_Edward didn't seem to register her words. I didn't know if vampires could be catatonic, but he certainly was close to it._

_Rosalie was insistent, though. _"If you're not going to do anything, Edward, then I will. We need to make sure she isn't injured. Set her down!" _she hissed._

_Reluctantly, Edward placed my body gently on the ground in front of them. I was coated in mud and looked even worse from this angle. But I was still alive._

_Rosalie examined me from head to toe through her normally hate-filled eyes. She let out a frustrated breath. _"If this stupid girl was _normal_ then this wouldn't be so difficult," _she huffed, brow furrowed._ "There doesn't actually seem to be anything physically wrong with her. She's just unconscious."

"Her pulse is so weak," _Alice mumbled, still holding my hand. Her voice wasn't as cheerful as it usually was. She was worried._

_I groaned in frustration. My body needed a magical stimulant. I needed probably every last potion in our cupboard. And I needed energy, life—blood. And most importantly, I needed to figure out a way to tell them that._

_Emmett's head shot up. _"She mentioned taking a potion before she was going to summon that demon. Maybe there's one at her place that would help?"

'_Yes! Do that!'_ _I shrieked into the ether, knowing that it didn't matter how loud I was. None of them would hear me. Still, I couldn't help but try to be louder._

_Edward had me in his arms in an instant, and then he ran. They were all running. And I followed, floating behind them. I kept up easily; I didn't have to avoid any obstacles as I found I could just phase through solid objects. I had to admit, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind when my aunt had told me I'd be able to fly one day._

_I had to be in the astral realm. It was the only thing that made sense. I obviously wasn't dead, but the desire to leave my currently useless body was stronger than my desire to begin healing. Astral projecting was another form of magic, so surely it was taking a toll on me. I'd have to be careful. I needed to figure out how to communicate with Edward before I ran out of strength. He'd never forgive me if I actually died._

_We arrived at my aunts' home to dead silence. I couldn't sense things in the astral realm like I could in my body; I had no idea if Isolde was there or not. I tried not to think about where Blair was._

_Edward placed me on the chaise lounge in the study. He stayed by my side, holding my hand. He brushed a hand across my forehead, pushing my hair back. I couldn't feel his emotions, but I could see them reflected in his eyes. He didn't know what was happening to me like I did; he was in more pain than I was._

_I tried to grab his hand. My spirit passed right through him._

_I could hear Emmett and Alice rummaging around in the kitchen. Jasper was standing by the window. Rosalie sat on the chaise at my feet. They both seemed tense and on edge._

_I looked around the room. Surely there was something in here—some magical object—that would allow a spirit to touch it._

_There was a noise coming from the window in front of Jasper. He took a step back._

"_What was that?_" _Rosalie asked nonchalantly. She was trying to sound like she wasn't as apprehensive as she looked. I don't think it fooled anyone._

_Edward didn't seem to register the noise. He hadn't registered much of anything. I wished again that I could comfort him somehow. There had to be a way._

"Just a bird,_" he drawled in response. He turned and went into the kitchen, surely not wanting to leave Alice for too long after everything they had been through._

_I had a sneaking suspicion which bird was trying to get in._

_The raven that I had healed was sitting on the sill on the other side of the glass. When she saw me, she let out a squawk._

_I blinked in surprise. 'Can you see me?' I asked._

'_Of course,' she replied easily. I could barely hear it through the glass of the window, but it was unmistakable. The bird had answered me. In English._

_My mouth fell open._

_The raven stared at me calmly. 'You seem to have gotten yourself in quite a mess,' she noted, turning her attention to my body._

_I took a moment to collect myself. After all I had been through and learned, a talking bird really shouldn't have come as such a surprise. I stepped through the wall of my aunt's home so that my spirit was outside with the bird. 'Can you help me?'_

'_You helped me once,' she replied. 'It's the least I could do.'_

'_How?'_

'_I'm not a witch, I'm a bird,' the raven laughed. 'How am I supposed to know?'_

_She had a point._

"Her heartbeat is slowing." _His voice was broken and low. I almost didn't recognize it… it was the first time he had spoken since he brought me home. Edward sounded hollow._

_I all but screamed in frustration. I'd managed to astral project myself, but I was equally as helpless now as when my spirit was in my body. I hated being helpless._

_I couldn't move any objects, because I didn't have a solid body—one that was working anyways. But maybe…_

_I turned back to the raven. 'This is going to sound weird, but do you think I could borrow your body for a moment?'_

_She looked at me squarely. 'I said I'd help, didn't I?'_

_I didn't know if it would work, but I had to try. I reached out and touched the raven._

Everything was dark for a moment, but when my vision returned it was bright and more colorful than I could ever have imagined. I looked around, shocked by what I was seeing. I had had no idea that humans were so colorblind.

Emmett's words pulled me from my admiration of the world around me. "I don't know what I'm looking for!" He was still sorting through the potion cupboard in the kitchen, but I could hear much better than before.

I had a solid body. Now I just had to figure out how to speak to them with it. That started with getting back into the house. I used my beak to peck on the glass of the window. I knew they could hear me, but none of them acknowledged me. Of course, that only made me more irritated. I was trying my best to get a message to them, and none of them were cooperating. I couldn't actually upset with them, though. They were trying to save me, after all.

I continued tapping, louder this time.

It was Rosalie that broke first. "Will someone shut that bird up? I can't hear myself think."

Alice returned to the room. "Maybe it wants in? I wouldn't put it past Emme or her aunts to have a pet raven." She opened the window.

I flew in or tried to anyway. I ended up half flapping across the room before falling on the floor. I'd never tried to fly as a bird before. Apparently it was more difficult than it looked.

Alice gently scooped me off the ground before I could attempt to right myself. "Poor thi…" she began to murmur reassuringly. She trailed off before she could finish, however.

'Not a poor thing yet,' I thought, eyeing the pixie-like girl. I knew Alice well enough to recognize that she had been pulled into a vision. I wished I could see what she was seeing. The only magic I had was holding me in the raven's body. I couldn't tap into any of their minds.

Edward stiffened and whirled around. He glanced between Alice and me, eyes widening. He sucked in a breath. "Emme?" he managed to choke out.

I let out an excited squawk and shot across the room to land next to him. Somehow, I managed it without falling this time. I couldn't tap into his mind, but he could still tap into mine.

His eyes bore into mine, eager and relieved. "What—how?"

'Can you hear me?_'_ I thought excitedly.

Edward nodded, glancing behind me. I followed his gaze. The others had come into the room when they heard him say my name. They stood by the window behind Alice who still seemed to be searching the future. Rosalie was still sitting on the chaise with my body, but she watched curiously as well. I was surprised to see no contempt coming from her as usual.

"What's going on?" Emmett sounded as confused as he looked.

'The longer this takes, the more dangerous it is. Edward, I need your help.'

"Of course," he replied easily, eyes now only on me. "Anything."

'Emmett was right. I need you to give my body any potion in the cupboard labeled 'PUP.' It should stabilize me. Then I need you to take me to the hospital. I don't need any special treatment; I just need to be around as much blood as possible. I used too much magic. That's the best way to replenish it.'

"You're going to be all right. Alice saw it."

I glanced back at Alice who was now watching us intently along with the rest of the Cullens. I nodded. I knew I would be, but it was still a relief to hear. 'I know. Tell Emmett I'm sorry for what I did to him. And I'm sorry I went after James like that without telling you. I'll understand if you can't forgive me.'

"Don't be ridiculous." His voice was much steadier now. It was almost back to its normal velvety cadence. I didn't realize how much I missed it. His broken voice would probably haunt me; I never wanted him to be like that because of my actions again. "I know why you did it. It was still irrational, of course. You should have told me."

'He told me—' I stopped myself, shaking my head. Edward's expression blackened at the mention of the blonde vampire. 'It doesn't matter right now. We can talk about it when I'm not a bird.'

I had to leave him, but I didn't want to. He seemed to sense the same thing. "I love you," Edward whispered, clutching my real hand even tighter.

'I love you, too. I don't know how long I'll be asleep. Don't worry about me though, okay?' It was a stupid thing to ask for. We both knew he would worry anyway.

"No promises."

* * *

I opened my eyes with a gasp.

My body was tingling. Normally, I would be alarmed, but I welcomed the feeling. It was magic, and it coursed through my veins, essential, and welcomed. I took a calming breath as the fluorescent lights flickered overhead. The beam eventually steadied. I smiled softly at my control.

When I first moved to Forks, magical overstimulation would have caused an outburst of magic. I wasn't even fully aware of where I was yet, but I could already tell I had command over the magic within me.

I turned my attention to my surroundings. I was in a hospital bed, but the room I was in looked much nicer than the average hospital. I furrowed my brow, confused. My bed was made with crisp, white sheets and a plush, navy blue comforter. Normally, hospital walls were painted some light, neutral color. The walls in this room were a deep, forest green. There was a dark oak dresser in the corner with a large TV sitting on it. There was even a game station attached to it. The window to my left was donned with navy, gold, and white paisley blackout curtains, though they were drawn open to reveal the trees outside. It was day time, but raining. In front of the window sat a luxurious leather sofa. There was a vase of carnations on the oak nightstand next to the bed varying in shades of purple from light lavender to deep eggplant.

I smiled, trailing my fingers over the blooms. Purple was my favorite color. They were all perfect. Not a single bloom showed any signs of wilting.

My attention turned toward the door as someone knocked on it. They didn't wait for an answer before opening it.

Edward was instantly at my bedside. He was in an olive green t-shirt that somehow managed to look nicer and better made than my nicest blouse. His khaki pants were well-tailored as usual, though spotted with raindrops as if he'd run here. Knowing him, he probably did. His bronze hair was darker than usual only confirming my theory.

I flung myself out of bed and into his arms without a second thought. I had forgotten how cold to the touch he was. It was comforting against my own burning skin that pulsed with magical adrenaline.

Edward wrapped his arms around me gently, bringing his head down to rest on mine. "Shhh, Emme. Everything's all right now."

I hadn't realized that I had basically been hyperventilating. I steadied my breathing. "Edward. What happened?"

Edward slowly pulled away but didn't release me. I looked up to meet his bright, topaz eyes. They looked relieved. They looked sad. "I was almost too late. I could have been too late," he whispered, his voice tormented. His fingertips grazed my cheek softly.

I shuddered, relishing his touch. "It wasn't your fault. If it was anyone's, it was mine. I could have done more, I should have—" I took a step back, running my hand through my limp hair. I stumbled a bit. My legs were shaky from disuse.

Edward steadied me without a second thought. "He played us all."

He led me back to the bed, pulling me down to sit next to him. I hooked my arm through his and rested my head on his shoulder. "What happened?" I repeated after I was settled. "Where are my aunts?"

Edward was silent for a moment before beginning his explanation. His expression was bleak. "Emme, your Aunt Blair was killed."

My heart skipped a beat. Nausea welled in my stomach. I knew this already, but it still didn't hurt any less to hear again. "Isolde?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"She's in a coma. Carlisle examined her. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. We assumed it was something similar to what you were in, so we brought her here as well. She's in a room down the hall."

I hadn't been expecting that. Isolde was badly shaken when I last spoke to her. She was weakened, but not to the point of a coma. Regardless, I was thankful that she was safe.

"Your plan worked. When Alice and I returned home, we found that Carlisle and Esme had left to take Laurent to Denali. James and Victoria left town to wait for us to make a move. We knew they had your aunt. We decided that Jasper and I would go after them, and Rosalie would take Alice to our home in Chicago until it was safe for her."

I felt another sharp pang in my chest at the mention of Aunt Blair.

Edward's grip on my arm tightened, but he continued. "They didn't stop. Between Jasper and I, we could follow them easily enough up into Canada until—" He stopped speaking and glanced at me. He was afraid of how I would react.

"Just tell me. I need to know."

"They stopped. By the time Jasper and I had caught up to them, your aunt was dead. I'm so sorry, Emme."

I shook my head, willing the tears to stay away. There would be time for mourning later, but now I needed answers. I needed to know that I didn't essentially sacrifice my aunt for nothing. "Keep going." My voice cracked, betraying me. I winced.

Edward studied me closely but began again. "Victoria was waiting for us, but James was nowhere to be seen. I assume that is when he backtracked to you. Jasper and I fought Victoria; it was unlike anything Jasper or I have experienced before. She was… she was stronger and faster than both of us. It wasn't normal—even for a vampire. It was terrifying. I could read her thoughts in the clearing, but when I fought against her, I couldn't hear anything. Jasper couldn't sense her emotions, either."

"It was her blood," I muttered. "James said he 'drained her' on a 'hunch.' Apparently witches don't smell potent, but our blood has some sort of potent effect on vampires. He and Victoria were basically vampires on steroids."

Edward's eyes were bearing into mine. He was guarded. There was something he wasn't saying, but I couldn't bring myself to press him about it at the moment. "Are you certain?"

"No." I pulled my feet beneath me, focusing on calming the magic beneath my skin once more. "I don't exactly trust James. He could have been lying, but it does make sense. He was stronger than I expected him to be." I could sense that it was my turn to explain, but Edward didn't push me. I took a moment to compose myself before continuing. "James called me. He said to meet him in the clearing alone or he'd kill her. I didn't know that she was already gone… so I went. Emmett tried to stop me—he wanted me to wait for you—but I wouldn't listen. I was afraid I would be too late if I waited." I couldn't even bring myself to look at Edward. "I used my magic against him."

"Trust me, Emmett doesn't care about that. He's more upset at himself for being unable to stop you."

"Of course he is," I sighed. "Magical ethics are something that's been debated since the beginnings of magic. Most witches wouldn't hesitate to use magic for even the most trivial thing. I have always tried to be as good as I could, but when it came down to it, I'm just as bad as the worst of them."

Edward ran his slender fingers along the palm of my hand. "No one blames you for that. We all would have done the same thing to save a loved one, Emerine. It was very brave of you."

"I don't feel brave. I just feel tired."

Edward's lips twitched upward. He pulled me back so I was now curled against him, lying with my head on his shoulder. "You should get some rest."

I groaned into his chest. "Not yet. We haven't finished talking."

"There's plenty of time for that later," Edward insisted.

"I'll rest easier after we get this out of the way. I have questions that need to be answered, and I'm sure you do too."

He didn't say anything to that. We both knew I was right.

I took a deep breath and continued. "I summoned Kumboh as we planned, but instead of getting information from him, I let him possess me. I figured he could just use my body to take care of James instead of wasting time to gather hints and tips. I didn't know he'd be stronger than usual. I suppose you know what happened after that."

His reply was even but his face was dark. "I can hazard a guess."

"I'm sorry."

He sighed, exasperated. "That's not what you should be apologizing for. I know why you did it—we all do."

I looked to him, confused. "Then what should I be apologizing for?"

"For very nearly taking yourself away from me forever."

I rolled my eyes. "So dramatic." An image of him nearly catatonic next to my corpse-like body flashed in my mind. I couldn't fault him for it. I would have been the same had the situation been reversed.

"If I'm dramatic, you're impulsive."

"I suppose I can't argue with that," I allowed. "It worked though, didn't it?"

Edward's grim demeanor returned instantly. "It did. Emmett got to you first. James was already gone." He sounded regretful as if he wanted to be the one to have finished the job. Knowing Edward, that was his exact line of thought. "Then I showed up…" He trailed off.

"I could hear you, you know."

Edward turned to me sharply, surprised.

"I think its how I'd managed to astral project. It's a subset of invocation that's really rare. I've only ever heard it mentioned—I don't know anyone that's actually done it. I just wanted so badly to get to you and tell you that I was fine and everything would be okay… it just sort of happened. Of course, then I didn't know how to actually talk to you until the raven let me possess her. I got lucky."

"I can't say I've ever read the mind of an animal before," Edward mused. "I never thought I would be grateful to a bird, either."

"You would have figured it out. Emmett was on the right track."

Edward must have seen the look on my face and tried to lighten the mood. "He'll probably be asking for a rematch the second you're back on your feet." It was silent for a moment before he added, "They love you, too. Even Rosalie has seemed to come around. They've all come to visit you."

I looked down, nervously messing with my fingers. I still felt guilty. "Being around me brings nothing but trouble. It was my fault my mother left, and my fault my house burnt down. It was my fault that Aunt Blair was kidnapped and murdered. Isolde—" I couldn't bring myself to finish. I didn't know what was wrong with her. I only knew that I let her down. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes. This time, I didn't try to stop them. I was too tired to be strong anymore.

Edward pulled me tighter against him. "It's going to be all right, Emme."

I wanted to believe him. More than anything, I wanted to believe him. I just couldn't shake the feeling that we weren't out of the woods just yet.

* * *

Hello dear readers! Sorry this took so long to get out. It was really hard for me to write for some reason. I am really dragging my feet with these last few chapters... I don't want the story to end haha.

Speaking of, YES there WILL be a sequel to this story! I have big plans for New Moon already and have been laying hints for what's going to happen there ever since Emme met Jacob. Much like how I began this story, I have a vague idea of what I'm going to do, but it will take a hot sec to plan the details. I'll post the prologue for it the same day I post the last chapter for this so you guys don't have to worry about forgetting to follow it (if you're interested of course).

Now, there's been a Guest (or Guests?) that have left some really valid concerns in the reviews. First of all, thanks for reviewing! I can't address all of your concerns because of the future plots that I have planned, but I wanted to explain what I can! First, in the OG Twilight, you can't just set a vampire on fire to destroy them. You have to dismember them first. Emme summoned Kumboh to do that for her; she never had enough faith in herself to do it alone. It wasn't until after she realized that she was strong enough by herself _and had faith in her magic_ that could she defeat him. She'd had a love/hate relationship with it up to that point, stuck between wanting to learn it and be a Septe and being afraid of it and what using magic means. But for her, using magic isn't so scary when you use it to save someone you love… it just took going up against James to realize that. As to her aunts being easily incapacitated… you're right. It was way too easy. And there's a reason for that—but I'm not going to tell it quite yet.

I can't decide if there will be one or two more chapters of Devil's Playground, but either way, I truly hope you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Your comments/kudos literally give me life :)

Until next time!


	23. Epilogue

I had slept for two months in total.

I wasn't necessarily shocked to learn that information when I woke up the day after Edward and I had spoken. My body and spirit had been through a trauma—obviously, it took time to recover. Still, it was disorienting to find that so much time had passed. I allowed Edward and the others to talk me into staying in the hospital for two days after I regained consciousness even though I felt fine. It gave me time to adjust to the feeling of missing time. More importantly, it gave me time with Aunt Isolde.

She was still in a coma. No matter how many times I scanned her with my magic, no matter what spell I tried, Isolde remained asleep. There was nothing physically wrong with her other than the fact that she was unconscious. Whatever was wrong with her, it was a magical issue that was currently beyond my means to fix.

For now, anyway.

"Are you sure you want to do this tonight?" Alice asked hesitantly as she finished braiding my hair half up.

My eyes rested on Isolde's sleeping form. I took comfort in the steadiness of her breathing. Alice was moved to the hook on the back of the door and grabbed the garment bag, draping it over her slender arm.

I shrugged. "It needs to be done sooner rather than later. Waiting won't make it any easier. Plus I don't want her spirit to suffer more than it already has."

Alice's lips pressed together in a firm line. Her eyes momentarily unfocused as she saw future events that I couldn't. She handed me the garment bag with a sigh. "I suppose you're right. Edward will be here soon. Is it really okay if we go with you? Neither one of us is magical."

I smiled gently at her as I took the bag. "You sound like Edward. A vampire with premonitions, yet you think you aren't magical?"

Alice let out a light, tinkling laugh. "Okay, you make a fair point. I'll let you get dressed. See you in a bit." She stepped out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

I unzipped the bag in my arms and pulled out the dress I'd asked her to receive from my house. It was long and black with black lace sleeves—pretty yet simple. I hadn't worn it in about two years, but I also hadn't grown much in that time. It still fitted me just fine. I slipped into my black ankle boots.

Now that I was dressed, I was ready to go. I still had some time before Edward arrived, though.

I grabbed the crinkled paper on Isolde's nightstand. My eyes eagerly devoured the words written in my aunt's neat cursive for what seemed like the hundredth time.

_Emerine,_

_I'm sure you have questions and finding me like this most likely adds to them. I wish I could answer them for you, but for now, this is the only information I can give you. _

_Blair is gone, and this was the only way to keep me from following her. Both Blair and I have known this day would come since the moment you were born. Even though we won't be with you for this next part, you must continue your studies. Never stop searching for answers. Remember: being different isn't wrong. Trust isn't a weakness. Most importantly, we are all children of the same magic. Potestas est sanuis. Magicae est sanguis._

_We see much of Cadoc in you. Don't blame yourself for anything that's happened. Please trust that everything will turn out exactly the way it was meant to._

_Aunt Isolde_

I had no idea what any of it meant, of course, other than that I needed to do my best to learn as much magic as I could. It would be difficult without my aunts, but not impossible. I wasn't about to let them down any more than I already had.

There was a quiet knock at the door. I opened the door with magic, unwilling to part with Isolde quite yet. Edward walked in with Alice following close behind. They had both changed into black clothes as well, though they looked much more glamorous than I did. I supposed it came with the inhumanly good looks that vampirism bestowed upon them.

I had certainly seen better days myself. I might have finally been out of the hospital gown and feeling better, but between Blair's death and Isolde's coma, I was stressed and… upset, to say the least. My hair had become dull and limp while I'd been unconscious. There were constant purple shadows beneath my eyes. I had always been pale, but now I was sallow and almost sickly looking.

Carlisle assured me I'd be back to myself in no time, but we both knew that it would be entirely dependent on how well I took care of myself over the next few months.

"Is everything ready?" I asked Edward, finally tearing my eyes away from Isolde.

His entire family had been overly helpful in arranging everything for the funeral. Alice and Esme had recovered Blair's body. Jasper and Emmett had hunted Victoria across Canada to make sure she wouldn't come back to hurt anyone else. Carlisle had secretly kept Blair's body in the hospital morgue until I woke up. He had been incredibly thoughtful by waiting for me, rightfully assuming that witches had funeral rituals just like the humans did.

Edward's cold, hard hand entwined itself with mine. He nodded in affirmation, mouth tight but eyes warm. "Are you sure you are?"

I rolled my eyes. "Alice asked the same thing. It's already been two months. It's time."

"It's been two months for us, but you've only been awake for two days. It's a lot to process in so short of a time." His light, topaz eyes flashed to Isolde's bed and back to me.

Alice had informed me that Edward had spent almost every second at my bedside while I'd been asleep, leaving only to hunt enough to keep himself alive. After I learned that particularly horrifying piece of information, I lovingly informed Edward I didn't want to see again until my discharge from the hospital. He put up a fight at first but realized that I was well enough to berate him for practically starving himself. He'd just gotten back this morning when I'd asked him to help with Aunt Blair's funeral.

"I need to do this, Edward." My voice was quiet but confident. I was sure that this was something that needed to be done.

Neither one of them said anything else on the subject.

We drove towards the clearing in silence. I hadn't exactly wanted to do this here of all places. The memories of James sent shivers down my spine. Still, there was something poetic about having my aunt's funeral on the site where I'd killed her murderer. I knew both of my aunts well enough to know that they would have delighted in the poetry of it all. I sighed at that particular dark thought.

Edward's thumb brushed the back of my hand comfortingly. He couldn't read my mind, but he knew exactly where my thoughts were.

When we could drive no more, he gently pulled me from the car and took off running. It wasn't as exhilarating this time. I wasn't sure if it was because of the fragility of my current mental state or the fact that I'd experienced the speed that vampires had myself, so being carried wasn't nearly as fun as it used to be.

Edward set me down near the center of the clearing as if I was made of glass. I could tell that he wasn't quite sure how to act around me at the moment. I wasn't exactly demonstrating the stereotypical stages of grief. He probably expected me to break down at any moment.

I took a few calming breaths as I examined the scene in front of me. Aunt Blair was laying on a small pyre in front of us. Hesitantly, I took a few steps forward. Someone—Carlisle, probably—had removed the blood from her neck and arms. The bite marks were still there, though, just like James said they would be. I pushed down a surge of fury. He was dead. I'd kill Victoria too one day, but tonight wasn't about that. Tonight was about letting go of someone I loved.

Despite her deathly pallor, she was still beautiful. I had always envied her and Isolde's thick, ebony waves. My hair was a straight, dark auburn, compliments of my mother. It was so strange to see her like this. She looked like she could just be sleeping like her twin was, but unlike Isolde, there was no sound of breathing coming from Blair. I was never so thankful that witches didn't decay at the rate humans did.

Alice interrupted my thoughts. "Do we need to do anything?"

I shook my head. "Just being here is enough. Thanks."

It was twilight. Purples and pinks entwined with oranges and blues in the sky above the clearing. The trees loomed around us, looking down on us. They swayed with the natural magic of the evening. It was the end of the day and the beginning of the night.

It was the end of Blair Wildes' time in this realm and the beginning of her time in the Others, but she wouldn't be finished with her journey here until I sent her spirit off properly.

Fire was one of the first lessons my aunts taught me. I grinned thinking back to the time I accidentally set their lawn on fire trying to melt snow off the driveway. I'd always thought I'd been bad at spell casting, but I'd been setting things on fire and conjuring storms before I even learned how to control them. Blair told me I was better than I knew, and she was right. I still had a long way to go, and now I had to do it on my own.

I stepped back next to Edward and Alice. They were silent, waiting for me to do something. I could tell Alice was itching to ask questions but was holding them back considering the circumstances.

"I've only been to a handful of witch funerals before. This is my first time doing it on my own," I admitted. I'd never forgive myself if I messed it up.

Edward put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He didn't say anything. It was a small gesture, but it made me feel more confident than if I'd decided to send Blair off on my own.

I gave them a brief explanation. "A witch's life doesn't end on earth. When anyone dies, their spirit is released to another realm. But by sending someone with magic off with this ritual, you allow their spirit to roam any of the Other Realms freely."

I took a deep breath and lit the pyre with magic. As the fire caught, dark, black smoke billowed into the sky above. I let it burn naturally as I said the words.

"_Non videbit pater meus et mater mea. Video enim fratres meos et sororibus. Ibi agminis populis principio. Invocabunt me. Denuntiant mea ad eos et ad locum meum in Regnis Aliis ubi meus spiritus ejus in __æternum vive__._"

With my last word, the smoke changed immediately from black to pure white. I let out a sigh of relief that I'd remembered the words correctly. More confident now, I held my hand out and poured as much as my energy into stoking the flames as I could. They quickly overtook the pyre until I could no longer see Blair lying upon it. I choked back a sob as I lost sight of her, willing the flames higher still.

My family had never been overly sentimental. I'd grown up without a father. My mother had always been distant, afraid of the magic I had. My aunts were the type to show their love in ways that weren't typical for humans. They didn't hug me, but they made sure I had everything I needed. They took me in when I didn't have anyone else. Isolde was blunt and forthright to the point of coming off as unfeeling, but Blair was the ever-patient one—the one that always encouraged me despite my failings. I always knew they both loved me, though. They never said it; they showed it. And it worked for us. I never ever doubted them.

I could feel the tears sliding down my face unable to hold them back any longer. They were cool against my hot skin that was being warmed by the blaze in front of me. I ignored them and threw more of myself into the flames. The fire was much bigger than would have been natural for a pyre of that size, but they weren't big enough.

I had risked everything to save my aunt—my morals, my friends, my soulmate, myself—and it wasn't enough. I had been too late—so late that I'd never even had a chance at saving her.

Blair knew that being a Septe meant that the world would take more from her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to hide from the dangers that magic attracted. Any practicing witch knew what was at stake if they used too much of their magic or if the wrong people came asking for help. Blair did it anyway. She'd known for years how she was going to die, and she still let it happen. She told me not to blame myself.

It didn't make it any easier, and I still did. I let the guilt consume me feeding the fire of the pyre.

The flames had to be over a hundred feet high by now breaking just over the tops of the trees. The white smoke billowed into the sky above twinkling slightly.

I'd heard about grief. I'd read about it in books and seen it in movies. I had thought the same thing about love before I experienced it for myself. But like love, grief was different. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't feel empty. I didn't feel like I was drowning in a sea of pain and misery.

I felt as if James and Victoria had taken a knife and stabbed me right in the gut. I was bleeding out, and the wound was deep. That was the love that I felt for my aunt. My wound would heal in time. It would scab and then scar. It would hurt for a while, and then it would hurt less. Scars were stronger than flesh. I'd rather have a scar than forget completely and have no memories of Blair whatsoever. After all, pain was a part of being alive.

I was still alive.

With a scream, I let go of the flames. My arm fell limply to my side.

The three of us stood there, watching as flames turned to embers which turned to ash. Edward's arm stayed tight around my waist. Alice grabbed my free hand giving it a squeeze. I was grateful they were with me. Night wrapped us in her comforting embrace.

* * *

Thanks to Carlisle and Esme, the school had decided not to completely fail me out of my junior year. As long as I completed the work that I missed out on before the new semester began, I'd be allowed to continue on to my senior year in the fall. The stack of paperwork only took me about two weeks to do since I had already been so far ahead of my classmates.

"I don't see why you don't just get your GED and be done with it," Emmett muttered from the couch after I'd declined his invitation to play against him in _Need for Speed _in favor of finishing my last assignment. "Or just drop out. You're smart enough. You can just make your own diploma if you want to go to college."

I'd been spending the majority of my days at the Cullen residence. I couldn't bear to spend too much time in my aunts' home alone at the moment, though I did spend my nights there with Edward and sometimes Alice.

I shrugged glancing into the other room at Edward playing the piano. He met my eyes easily without missing a note, and then promptly rolled them. I snickered. We'd had this conversation (more like an argument) at least three times by now. "Edward doesn't want me to miss anything. He thinks it's important that I experience as much as I can as a normal teenager—whatever that means."

Emmett snorted.

My snicker turned into a laugh. The idea was completely ridiculous. "I used to want to be normal. I know better now. I can't ever be, really, but what's the harm in humoring him? If he wants to live vicariously through me while I write about the influence of the witches in _Macbeth_, then so be it."

Emmett let out a booming laugh. "You're joking! You're not really writing your paper on that."

"As if I would write it on anything else."

"Emme!" The shriek came from outside the house, yet half of a second was all I had before Alice materialized by my side. She small girl seemed bursting with energy. "She answered! She finally answered!" Alice grabbed my hands and pulled me out of my chair before twirling around the room.

I grinned at her antics, trying to keep up. "That's great, Alice! What'd she say?"

"She wants to meet me!"

Alice released me and danced into Jasper's arms. He'd appeared in the doorway, watching his wife with an amused expression.

Alice had written to her sister claiming to be a descendant of herself. Evidently, Cynthia wanted to meet her as much as she wanted to meet Cynthia.

"You're going, right?"

"I want to…" She trailed off as her eyes unfocused. She flicked through her possible futures before a wide grin settled on her face. "Yes! I'll have to get started on the arrangements right away—"

And as soon as she'd arrived, she was gone.

Jasper's soft gaze lingered on me for a moment more before he left to help Alice. He'd been practically worshipping the ground I walked on ever since I regained consciousness—in his own way, of course. He may have been an empath, but he was much more closed off than the others in his family. Not for the first time I wondered about his back story. Everything the man did practically screamed 'trauma.' Still, I could feel the gratitude radiating off of him anytime he was within twenty feet of me.

All of the Cullens had whole-heartedly accepted me, which was more than I deserved after all the trouble I'd caused them. Edward assured me that they thought I wasn't to blame for anything that had happened. Even Rosalie stopped looking at me with cold hatred, although we still weren't exactly on friendly terms. She recognized that despite not knowing much about my kind, I didn't want anything to happen to any of them. I did attack her husband, though, and that didn't do me any favors at all.

I finished my essay a half-hour later. It was getting dark out already. Time seemed to fly by whenever I was at the Cullen residence.

"Are you ready to go?" Edward asked, standing up from the piano.

I nodded, gathered my belongings, and followed him out the door.

* * *

"I think we should talk about it."

I'd been laying in bed for close to two hours now, no closer to sleep than when I first crawled in. Edward was across the room, reading a stack of books on witchcraft that I'd picked out for him. He had insisted on learning as much as he could after my fight with James. He wanted to be sure he knew what to do in case something like that ever happened to me again.

He set the thick book down turning his attention to me. "Talk about what?"

"The elephant in the room."

Edward's eyes blackened, but his tone was still gentle. "What elephant?"

He knew exactly as to what I was referring to. I narrowed my eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. There's only one subject we haven't touched."

He looked away, trying to avoid the subject like we both did whenever we managed to get close to it. But now, after everything we'd been through together, we owed it to our relationship to at least try to figure it out. The questions had been creeping toward the front of my mind ever since I woke up from my near-death experience.

"You and I both know that witches aren't immortal. We've been dancing around the subject ever since I woke up—before then even."

Edward stood up and made his way onto the bed next to me. "What's there to say, Emme?" He sounded exhausted already.

"I just… I don't know. I want to make sure you're going to be okay. I heard what you were like when you thought I was dead. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again. It was unbearable."

His gaze softened. "I suppose we're even then. Seeing you like that wasn't exactly bearable for me either."

"That's the point though, isn't it? One day I _will_ be like that, and if it's not because of magic it'll be because of time." I knew I should stay calm, but I was growing frustrated—not with Edward, but with my lack of a solution.

"What are you saying, Emme? Are you asking to be like me?" Edward was incredulous. I'd asked about how vampires were made, but I'd never even hinted that that was the future I wanted. "You can't ask me to be the one to end your life."

I shook my head. "I honestly don't know. I don't know even know if I _can _be changed, Edward. I don't know the effect of your venom on my kind. I don't think anything like this—" I gestured at the two of us, "has ever happened before. If it has I certainly haven't heard about it."

He frowned as he pressed his fingers to his temples and closed his eyes.

It took me a moment to realize what his silence meant. I hadn't brought up the topic of me changing. I was simply trying to point up a problem and go over possible solutions. _He _was the one that brought it up. My jaw fell.

"Alice saw something, didn't she?" I guessed.

"Alice sees a lot of things," Edward retorted.

"But it's a possibility?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm not killing you."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, taking his chin in my hand and bringing his face towards mine. "It does matter, actually. If we want any sort of future, we're going to have to figure it out. I can do some research and experimenting of my own—I rather like being a witch and I'd like to stay that way. But when it comes down to it, I'd rather be like you than be without you. I'm not going to leave you to an eternity of loneliness, and if it takes 'killing me' to do it, then I will. Plus, we've been through this before. You aren't damned or condemned or whatever else. You're just a different brand of magic."

Edward deflated with my words. He brought his lips to my forehead, and then down to my neck. Chills crept down my spine. I melted into his side.

"Alice has seen some things," he admitted. "Our futures aren't certain—they keep changing. But they're always intertwined. Isn't that enough?"

I allowed myself to fully relax. He was right. I didn't know what was going to happen to us, but if we were together, I knew we would figure it out.

"It's enough for now."

* * *

_A/N:_

_And that's all, folks!_

_It's been a journey, and I am EXHAUSTED. I'd like to formally apologize for what is probably some horrible grammar and syntax. I've written about 10k words today, and English began to look fake there at the end. That being said, I hope you enjoy it regardless. Let me know if you catch anything that I didn't!_

_Please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of this story! I read them all and can reply more freely now that it's finished. I'd really appreciate the feedback since I've decided to continue this story into New Moon as well. What worked? What didn't? Were the characters too OOC? Do you have any theories about what's going to happen? What would you like to see in the sequel? My main goals for Devil's Playground were to get rid of as much of the toxicity as I could in Edward/Bella's relationship, give them more equality in their dynamic, and still maintain the integrity of the original story and characters (not to mention include more of the awesome backstories that we never got to see). I hope I managed to do that at least a little bit._

_The sequel is going to be called "Devil in Me" and I will have the first chapter posted hopefully before you finish reading this. That way, you won't forget about following it if you're interested. Speaking of following, the Tumblr for this story is .com. I post a lot of clues, visuals, and music over there. It's worth a look!_

_Thanks a million for sticking with me till the end. I never thought I'd actually finish a fic lol. I hope you had as much fun as I did!_

_Until next time :)_


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